- Plead For Regularisation Of Appointment
By Amos Aar
CASUAL staff at Benue State Government House, Makurdi have cried out over the hardship they are going through following the non-payment of their monthly stipend since January 2024.
Some of the casual staff, who spoke with National Record on the condition of anonymity for fear witch-hunt, lamented that the non-payment of their monthly stipend has made it very difficult for them to fend for themselves and their families.
The beleaguered staff noted that even to transport themselves to the office on a daily basis as required of them has become too burdensome.
“We were paid only for December 2023 and we have not received a dime for the last 5 months. It is unfortunate that the permanent secretary, government house has instructed us to be coming to work every day.
“He threatened that our appointments will be terminated if we fail to comply with the directive even as our meagre salary of twenty thousand naira (N20,000) only has not been paid for all these months”, one of the casual staff said.
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Another casual staff, lamented, “l live very far from the Government, and I spend at least one thousand naira every day to come to work and go back to my house. I’m tired of borrowing money for transport. What about the food to eat with my children?”
A number of the casual workers spoken to by National Record corroborated the accounts, complaining that it has been a difficult five months for all of them.
When contacted on phone to find out why the casual workers in Government House have not been paid, Government House Permanent Secretary, Mr Bartholomew Geraga, told our reporter that he has commenced the payment.
Mr Geraga however did not reveal the date he made the payment, but it was obvious the five months arrears will not be cleared at once; but he stressed that there was no need to ask about the delayed payment.
“You don’t need to tell me because which day … I was given money to pay them and I paid. So, next week, I will pay them again. You don’t need to ask”, the permanent secretary stressed.
However, some casual staff who serve in the Protocol Department of the Government House said the Permanent Secretary’s statement was untrue.
They told National Record on phone on Monday, June 17, 2024 that they were not paid, assertions which were corroborated by casual staff in other departments.
The aggrieved workers also appealed to Governor Hyacinth Alia to regularise their casual appointments to substantive status now that the governor has assented to a recent legislation to regulate the engagement of casual workers in the Benue State public service.
The newly signed law forbids employers from retaining casual workers for more than two years.
The casual workers pointed out that they have already clocked ten years in casual status. The lamented that when their appointments were regularised to permanent status at the twilight of previous administrations, the successive governments reverted them to casual status hence the need for Governor Alia to do regularise them in the spirit of the new law.
