Politics
GOVERNOR Samuel Ortom has described the Benue State governor-elect, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia’s recent statement on salaries and pensions in the state as unfortunate.
Ortom, who spoke during an interview on Arise TV on Friday said he felt sad about the statement.
Recall that Alia had, on Wednesday in an interview with the state House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that workers in the Benue are being owed a backlog of salaries as well as pensions.
The governor-elect added that Ortom’s administration has left Benue in ‘Intensive Care Unit, ICU.’
However, reacting to Alia’s statement today, Ortom said: “It is an unfortunate statement coming from honourable Alia, Benue State governor-elect.
“He is no longer a reverend father because he was suspended from priesthood, and so I feel sad about what he said.
“Go back to history since I came in. The civil service have not been on strike, and there must be a reason for them to understand with me why they should not go on strike because my government has been transpirent and ensuring equity and fairness in all things that we do in Benue State.
“Go back to history when I took over in 2015, the total salaries arrears, pensions and gratuity was over N70 billion.
“The Federal Government did an intervention, and we paid. There were issues because people alleged that there was diversion of funds and so on.
“EFCC came in, the ICPC came in and we were giving a clean bill of health because no single kobo was diverted from the N28 billion that was given for the local government and for the state.
“So the remaining balance of about N42 billion, just like other states, was also applying, I did apply. But politics did not permit this money to be given to me.
“As I talked to you, Mr President approved, the Ministry of Finance approved, and they went to Central Bank, and because of politics, people rose up from Benue State that the money should not be paid to me because I am no longer in APC.
“Everything was done, due diligence was done, DMO had approved, the President had approved, the ministry had approved.
“But getting to the Central Bank, our people from Benue State rose up that ‘look if we pay this money to Ortom’s administration, it means we will not have anything to campaign against him in 2023’. This was what happened.
“As I talked to you, all the documents are there, and the Central Bank was supposed to release this money.
“Unfortunately, I found myself here. The money is still pending. It dents my own administration. So it is politics that has led me not to clear the arrears.
“Now the APC government wants to take advantage of what we have on the ground to clear off the arrears,” he said.
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Tags: Governor Samuel Ortom President Muhammadu Buhari REV. Fr. Hyacinth Alia
