By Amos Aar
THE OUTSTANDING four months stipend owed Benue State Government House causal staff and the silence over the lingering issue from the government have become a cause of serious concern amidst questions on how the affected staff and their families are surviving.
Information from unimpeachable sources at Government House, Makurdi, indicate that though the casual staff are going through excruciating hardship in the face of rising inflation, but are suffering in silence as speaking out will spell doom for them because of the precarious nature of their engagement.
One of National Record’s sources, a full-time civil servant, who pleaded anonymity, said the casual staff, who are now owed four months’ unpaid stipend, currently survive on tips and charity from benevolent staff and visitors to Government House.
In October, the casual staff silently raised concerns about the hardship they faced from three months of unpaid arrears.
While some of them reported receiving just a single month’s stipend, others received nothing at all. Now, with four months’ arrears for some of them, their financial distress has reportedly deepened.
Our sources described the situation of casual staff of Government House as curious in view of the fact that casual staff in other Ministries, Departments and Agencies are being paid like their full-time civil servants.
A source noted particularly casual staff of the Ministry of Health and Human Services, as well as the Ministry of Finance, as very lucky as they continue to draw their stipend regularly.
Mr. Solomon Iorpev, the Technical Adviser on Media, Publicity, and Strategic Communication to Governor Hyacinth Alia, had in October, attributed the delay to a garnishee order, which he said has blocked the release of funds for these stipends.
However, some civil servants who are informed on such matters find it curious that despite this order, a one-month payment was distributed to some of the casual workers just as conventional public servants are all being paid as and when due.
When asked why only some Government House casual staff were paid and others remain unpaid despite the garnishee order, and why this issue seems to affect only Government House staff, Mr. Iorpev promised an explanation.
However, three days have passed but no response came as at press time, even after a reminder.
