Speaking on Tuesday at the IBB Square Makurdi, venue for the 2018 May Day celebration which was used to rather offer prayers for the slain indigenes of the state, the Governor thanked Benue workers for their resilience and support in the face of irregular payment of salaries occasioned by the dwindling allocation from the federal government.
He stated that true to the promise of regularizing payment of salaries from January 2018, his administration has since shown commitment in that regard even as he said plans were on the way to clear arrears adding that all issues of omissions and other related problems inherent in the current payment exercise were being also resolved.
The Governor who reinstated his resolve to protecting lives and properties of Benue people stated that the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, 2017 has now become a model in the country and revealed that he was only encouraged to stand by the law in the face of physical threat to his life because of the encouragement he received from Benue people irrespective of their political, religious and ethnic divide.
In his address, the chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Godwin Anya who said every 1st May was set aside to celebrate the supreme price paid by many workers in the course of the struggle for improved working condition, however, regretted that for them in Benue State, this year’s celebration has been turned into mourning with the government and people of the state over the killings of citizens by Fulani militias.
The Labour leader condemned the act of killing of law abiding citizens in the state and called on President Muhammedu Buhari to decisively deal with the issue assuring the Governor of workers support for him on the implementation of the anti-open grazing law.
While commending the state government for its effort in regularizing workers’ salaries as reflected in the payment of salaries from January till date, Comrade Anya urged the Governor to quickly look into the outstanding arrears with the view of clearing them soon.
Other expectations of the union that are yet to be met by government according to the union leader included the issues of heavy taxation, job creation, resumption of payment of Annual Leave Grant, payment of retirement benefits among many others.
High points of the event were words of exhortations and prayers by various men of God as well as a solidarity rally by the Coalition of Civil Society organizations led by Rev Dave Ogbole.