Benue Workers Rejoice as First Salary in 7 Months is Received

Workers in Benue State expressed their elation after finally receiving their long-awaited salary from the state government.

In interviews conducted in the capital city of Makurdi, several workers confirmed that they began receiving payment alerts on Sunday.

Oraduen, an employee under the state government, expressed his relief at finally being compensated after seven months of working without pay. He stated, “I feel so happy with the payment of this one month salary. I got an alert at about 8pm on Sunday, and my spirit has come alive again. The situation was so bad before now such that I had to park my car and trek.”

“Now, I can put my car to use, send some money to my sick mother, and buy food for my household. I’m not the only one excited; everyone in my office feels good too, and those who haven’t been coming to work are at their duty post this morning. We hope to get another three months of salary before the end of the week,” said Oraduen, who preferred not to disclose his first name.

Similarly, Fidelis, another worker, expressed his joy at receiving a one-month salary payment on Monday morning, ending an eight-month period of being owed.

Fidelis, along with Daniel, another worker, expressed gratitude that the payment of one month’s salary would alleviate the hardships their families had endured during the months of unpaid salaries.

Terungwa Igbe, the Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, confirmed that the workers had received one month’s salary.

However, some individuals, including teachers and pensioners, reported that they were still awaiting payment.

A teacher from a primary school in Makurdi, who wished to be identified as Doosuur, expressed hope that they would also receive their overdue salaries.

The Chairman of the Concerned/Aggrieved Pensioners in Benue State, Comrade Akosu Ioream, stated, “Local government pensioners of the primary school board have started receiving alerts, but that is not verified news. As for Benue State pensioners, of which I’m the chairman, we have not started receiving any alerts. We are having our exco meeting now, so if something like that has happened, I would have known.”

“We are hoping that any moment from now, we will get our alerts. I hear that the delay is because they want to eliminate ghost pensioners and address other irregularities as our vouchers are being prepared. I also heard that the governor intends to pay us more than three months, so they are preparing vouchers. However, there is no authentic information yet regarding when and how we will start receiving our pension alerts,” Comrade Akosu Ioream added.