Angry reaction trails withdrawal of Benue’s Paris Club refund

Workers in the employ of Benue State government reacted angrily to the withdrawal of the state’s N14.9 billion Paris Club refund by the Federal Government.

Correspondent reports that the workers were already expecting proceeds of the fund to hit their bank accounts as part of their unpaid salaries as directed by Governor Samuel Ortom on Monday before the news of the withdrawal filtered in.

A civil servant, who gave his name as Jonah, said he almost collapsed when he heard that the money had been withdrawn by the federal government without any reason adduced to it.

“I was very shocked when I got the news. In fact, I nearly collapsed. I was already expecting four months payment today (Tuesday) out of the seven months salary owed me by the state government following the governor’s directive to the state’s Ministry of Finance to immediately commence payment of salary arrears, pensions and gratuity,” he said.

Another worker, a teacher, Onyemowo Abutu, said the news of the withdrawal ruin her day as she had earlier planned to use some of the monies from the Paris Club refund which would reduce the amount of the 11 months salary owed her to pay off huge debts that had accumulated overtime.

Also reacting, the state’s Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Godwin Anya, wondered why the federal government took such decision to the detriment of the workers who have long expected their unpaid salaries to be paid.

“Everybody was already expecting the money because the governor had directed the commencement of the disbursement to workers, so why won’t they feel bad? They must grumble. I don’t know the reason for this recall; I don’t know what this country is turning into,” Anya added.

Meanwhile, Ortom’s Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Tahav Agerzua, posited that the federal government’s action was strange because it was unheard of how such withdrawal could be effected after paying the monies to the states.

Agerzua further fingered the case of Benue as a trajectory and intimidation taken took far by the federal government following the governor’s defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that, “this too like others in the series of suppressing Benue at all cost would fail.”