Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia
Benue State Government has approved the sum of N2.9 billion for payment of allowances of the staff of Fr. Adasu University Makurdi (FAUM) as well as the College of Health Sciences.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the State Executive Council meeting on Wednesday at Government House Makurdi, the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dr. Peter Ogbodo, explained that the decision followed recent agitations over unpaid entitlements, which, if not addressed, could have led to strike actions and disrupted academic activities.
Dr Ogbodo disclosed that a committee for that was put together headed by the Secretary to the State Government, alongside the Head of Service and other members to engage with relevant stakeholders and the report of the committee was approved by council which ensured the settlement of the allowances to maintain industrial harmony in the education sector.
The commissioner noted that “this decision reflects government’s commitment to promoting education as a vital tool for social development and ensuring that our children do not suffer unnecessarily.”
In addition to the educational sector, Dr. Egbodo also outlined major decisions taken by the council which covers areas of agriculture and infrastructural development across the state.
On the issue of loan recently approved by the Benue State House of Assembly, Dr. Egbodo clarified that since the inception of the current administration, no loan, foreign or local, had been obtained until the recent request insisting that the facility was specifically intended to finance ongoing infrastructural projects and would be managed with utmost transparency.
To ensure judicious use of funds and alignment with the government’s development priorities, the commissioner said arrangement has been made in such a way that payments would not be made directly to government but through the bank to contractors, based on verified certificates of work done.
The commissioner also revealed that the government is revisiting the white paper report concerning the Bureau of Agricultural Mechanization, adding that a previous committee had identified genuine contractors for payment over the supply of agricultural inputs, but during implementation, discrepancies were found in the computations.
He informed that the state government wanted to ensure no contractor was shortchanged, and that no payments were made for jobs not executed and the white paper is being reviewed to correct any detected errors before disbursement.
On donations made for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yelwata and other areas, Dr. Egbodo revealed that government has constituted an implementation committee comprising traditional rulers, Chairmen of Makurdi and Guma local governments, and representatives of IDP communities, pointing out that these committees were working jointly to identify priority areas for intervention to ensure funds are used effectively and transparently.
Speaking further, Ogbodo disclosed that the Benue State House of Assembly has passed a bill for the merger of the Bureau for Quality Assurance and the Education Board and the bill has been assented to by the Governor and the law seeks to harmonize the activities of both agencies to enhance coordination, improve efficiency, and strengthen quality education delivery in the state.
While acknowledging public concerns over alleged misappropriation of IDP funds he assured that government was closely monitoring the process to maintain accountability and fairness adding that government was interested in ensuring that all contributions made towards supporting displaced persons are properly utilized for their benefit.
The Commissioner called on the public to disregard unfounded reports aimed at discrediting government efforts, assuring however that all actions taken the government were always in the best interest of the people of Benue State.
