Benue State Government has reached an agreement with primary school teachers and local government workers to alternate the payment of their salaries for the months of October and November 2015.
A statement by the information officer of the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Andrew Iorkyaa quoted the Adviser to the state Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Titus Zam as saying that the state government has reached an agreement with the state chapters of Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT and the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE to alternate the payment of salaries between teachers and staff of local government councils in view of dwindling allocations from the federation account.
Under the arrangement, the allocation for the month of October will be used for the payment of the salaries of teachers while that of November will be used to pay local government staff thereby resulting into automatic one month areas for both categories of workers by the end of this month.
Recall that former Governor, Gabriel Suswam was also forced, in the face of dwindling accruals from the federation account, to enter into a similar agreement with the unions of workers in the state to deduct 10% of their salaries from late 2014 to February 2015.
Mr Zam also assured primary school teachers, staff of local government, as well as traditional rulers yet to receive their salary arrears from the bailout funds that their problems were being sorted out.
He said the state has enough money to pay everyone whose appointment has been verified to be genuine and advised those whose salaries were delayed to discard rumours that their entitlements were diverted stating that challenges being experienced with the introduction of the e-payment system needed time to be surmounted.
The Adviser added that the deductions from salaries were the normal Pay As You Earn, PAYE tax been effected to enable government provide basic amenities.
