Salaries: Benue Govt To Recapture Those Removed From Payroll
From Msughshima Andrew, Makurdi
Benue State Government has concluded arrangements to begin payment of salaries of those removed from payroll across the 23 Local Government by State Emergency Committee on Salary Issues, (SECOSI).
Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Mr Jerome Tor Shimbe stared this while speaking to newsmen in his office, today.
The staff were removed from the payroll after verification carried out by State Emergency Committee on Salary issues set up by the Governor Ortom to ascertain the actual number of staff in the state and local councils.
But Governor Samuel Ortom after receiving some complaints from those affected and verifying had directed that all staff affected be reinstated.
However, the staff of the Makurdi local government area who were affected in the verification yesterday protested the ommission of their names from the payroll demanding they be reinstated.
The workers protested none payment of salaries up to 13 months, deliberate omission of some workers names on the payroll, sacking of some workers of the Makurdi local government without any reason among others.
Reacting to their protest, Mr Shimbe said the protest was politically motivated noting that the bureau has concluded arrangement to ensure that the affected staff receive their payment.
“The protesters came but their immediate problem was not how many months they are being owed or arrears of salaries they are being owed. The problem is that they were ommitted in the recent payment which is July and they are 43 in number.”
He noted that his office has received the list of the genuine staff affected from the Local Government Service Commission and will ensure immediate payment of their salaries.
“The protest as far as I know is politically motivated. The issue here is to reconcile the figures brought by local government Commission from their screening with what SECOSI got from their verification.
“The committee was having less but we have reconciled that and by this August everybody will be on board and will receive their salaries.
He said Governor Ortom has also directed that they stand down only those civil servants who were wrongly employed or those who are due for retirement.
