Unpaid salaries: I’m also facing hardship, not only you – Ortom tells Benue workers

Benue State Governor has empathised with civil servants in the state over the hardship caused by the government’s inability to pay salaries.

The Governor who spoke during an interview published in the Sun Newspaper attributed the situation to the dwindling federal allocation to the state and urged workers to be patient as he also felt their pain.

He said: “Well, I agree because even I, I’m facing it (hardship) as a person. On my farm and in my private life and everywhere I know the challenges. I’m not a Governor that travels everyday; I am always around with the people. So the pains are so much but we just want to ask our people to be patient. Change does not come easy.”

Benue civil servants are being owed 4-5 months wages and last received salaries for March 2016 last month, a situation the governor blames on the mismanagement of his predecessor, Ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam.

“It has not been easy inheriting many years of unpaid gratuity and pension that was not paid and salary arrears that we inherited from the past administration.

“In fact, my predecessor told me that I could not run this government for three months before I was sworn in. He knew that he had run the state to the ground.” Ortom said.

 

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