Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has announced that his administration is prepared to pay a minimum wage of N70,000 to state workers. This declaration came during a press briefing in Makurdi, where the governor shared his administration’s recent efforts and achievements.
Governor Alia highlighted that significant steps have been taken to streamline the state’s finances by eliminating various financial leakages. He stated that these measures have been instrumental in improving the state’s internal revenue, despite the challenging economic environment.
“Though with harsh economy things have been stagnated but with all the plans and measures that are in place for things to function, things are moving, even our internally generated Revenue has increased,” the governor explained.
Governor Alia emphasized that closing financial loopholes is crucial for the state to maximize its resources. This approach, he believes, will enable the government to fulfill its obligations, including the payment of salaries.
“It’s now left for us to close all loopholes to see how much we can cash in to do other things even to pay salary,” he added.
The governor also expressed confidence in the state’s ability to align with federal directives regarding worker remuneration. He reiterated the importance of the workforce to the functioning of the government, affirming his commitment to ensure that civil servants receive the federally approved minimum wage.
“We can pay (minimum wage) with our focus. With all our purpose and intent, what is agreed by the Federal Government, we the sub nationals should be able to queue in today,” he said. “Without the workforce, any government will not have any centeredness of governance. So, we need to pay our civil servants with what is approved by the Federal Government and organised labour.”
