Benue State Governor Lauds President Tinubu’s Administration Support

Governor Hyacinth Alia has lauded President Bola Tinubu’s administration support for Benue State.

The Governor disclosed that President Tinubu has awarded all the Federal Roads, in deplorable condition, that cut across the State for renovation.

He is also optimistic that Benue state will continue to enjoy the support it presently gets from the current administration.

Alia made these known to State House Correspondents after a closed meeting held with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa.

 “You know, we just made the President know where we are and what we are doing. A Lot of the support we’re gaining from the federal government, we hope that this will continue.” 

 The Governor further committed to guaranteeing regular and punctual clearance of the outstanding payments, including monthly salaries, arrears, and various entitlements owed to the state workers by preceding administrations.

 Governor Alia described the sum of N359b inherited salary bill as a significant financial burden on the state.

“For now. We have established the continued payment of salaries each month. If you are a staff of the States or the local government in Benue state, I would have only told you to keep watch on your light on the 25th of every month. Your alert must tell you that you have been paid and that has come to stay. A labourer deserves his wages. So, you work you earn your living.” 

 Governor Alia emphasized that his administration has established a commitment to ensure that individuals retiring will receive their gratuities and pensions within a period not exceeding four months from their retirement date.

“We have already made it a point of duty that once you retire it must not take up to four months before you collect your gratuities and your pension. By doing this, gradually we’re going to revisit the backlog of arrears that exists. We’ve started work on that already. So, we’re trying to raise the IGR. So, once it is raised any month, then we have something in there, it goes straight to the arrears of pension, and then even of salaries. You’ll be shocked to hear that some in the local government people were owed up to five years of salaries, and then the lists we recorded are people who were owed up to four months. There was a least and this is why the debts have come up to 359 billion naira on my head and the head of Benue state government,” he added.