Benue: PDP knocks Gov Alia for paying one-month salary

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State on Monday taunted Governor Hyacinth Alia for paying one month salary, saying he ought to use the “slush funds at his disposal to clear salaries and pensions arrears as he had promised during the 2023 campaigns”.

Alia had in his Democracy Day broadcast told civil servants that they would start receiving alert of payment of their salaries from June 25.

Our correspondent reports that following the governor’s promise, the PDP and its supporters had used the social media on Sunday afternoon to taunt the administration while making jest of the workers who expectantly at the time had ntt received the salary payment.

But, the workers by Sunday night started receiving salary alerts which was still ongoing at at the time of filing this report.

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In a statement on Monday, State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Bemgba Iortyom, wondered why only a section of the workers got one month salary as he urged the state government to at least pay all the workers up to four months.

Iortyom stated, “Our great party is aware the governor who is still running a government without a cabinet has received into the state’s treasury tens of billions of naira from the monthly federal statutory allocation as well from stamp duty and debt swap accruals.

“Those are accruals which the immediate past administration of Samuel Ortom did fulfill all due diligence requirements for accessing, with offsetting of workers salaries and pensions arrears earmarked as priority expenditure from same.

“PDP investigations gather that Governor Alia late last night eventually bowed to pressure from the party to pay workers their wages as he had promised to do without fail on 25th of every month, and directed that one month salary be paid to workers, but so far only those in a few of the ministries have received credit alerts from government.

“We recall that the governor had promised to clear salary arrears being owed workers and the understanding was reached that he will pay four months at a go with himself assuring that would be done on 25th of this month of June.

“We urge Governor Alia to maintain same expenditure priority with those funds as was envisaged by his predecessor who worked to secure them, by keeping true to the understanding of paying four months arrears to workers in this month of June.”

The PDP maintained that with the volume of funds currently at his disposal, Governor Alia will have no reason for not keeping to this understanding in the interest of the state and her people, particularly the workers.