By Amos Aar
CASUAL staff in various ministries, agencies, including the Government House, Makurdi, Benue State, have gone for six months without the payment of their monthly stipend.
National Record gathered that the delay in payment of the stipend is attributed to a garnishee order affecting the account from which the state pays the casual workers’ stipends.
Three months ago, Chief Solomon Iorpev, the Technical Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia, had explained that the garnishee order was the primary reason for the non-payment of stipends.
However, efforts to confirm whether the order has been lifted or is still in force have been unsuccessful, as Benue State Commissioner for Justice and Public Order and Attorney General, Fidelis Mynim, did not respond to inquiries.
Asked why the casual staff are yet to be converted to substantive status in line with the new law introduced by Governor Hyacinth Alia, which stipulates that no organisation should keep casual staff beyond five years so that they will be receiving regular salaries as civil servants, which Governor Alia has activated, the State Head of Service, Dr Moses Agbogbo Ode, gave some hope to the casual workers, assuring that the conversion will be completed within a month.
“The process of converting the casual staff in the state is ongoing, and the committee handling this will soon turn in the report. At the end, character principles and fairness will prevail.
“Give us about a month or so, and the result will be out,” Dr. Ode stated.
The casual workers have been awaiting their stipends and a more secure employment status, having challenges like transportation to workplaces and the daily management in their households.
