By Ignatius Shelleng/Makurdi
Civil servants in Benue State plunged into mourning of some sort, Tuesday, as they woke to the shocking news that the Federal Government had recalled the N14.9billion final tranche of the Paris Club refund released to the state only last week.
Two workers, according to eye witness report, slumped at the state secretariat when the news of the recall hit them like a bolt of thunder.
Civil servants clustered in groups discussing the unsavoury news. Their countenance was a web of unhappiness and disappointment.
Only 24 hours before, the same forlorn work force had been ecstatic as Governor Samuel Ortom ordered the state Ministry of Finance to start immediate disbursement of the funds to workers.
Prior to that, Ortom had constituted a committee to superintend the disbursement of the fund to civil servants, local government staff and pensioners. But the governor had to abort it midway as most citizens kicked against the decision.
A source at the state secretariat told The Crest that civil servants were owed seven months salary arrears, and local government workers as well as pensioners 11 and 15 months respectively.
Distraught who spoke to The Crest anonymously accused the federal government ‘systematic elimination’ of Benue workers.
“My joy knew no bounds when I first heard the news of the release of the funds to the state government,” one worker reminisced. “I thought all my financial problems, especially my debts, were over. Then, came this worrisome development. I’m sad and confused. I don’t know where to turn to now.”
However, another civil servant, who also pleaded anonymity because, according to him, ‘civil servants are only to be seen and never to be heard, especially on the pages of newspapers,’ heaped the blame on Governor Samuel Ortom, accusing his administration of unnecessary foot-dragging.
He said the governor wasted valuable time setting up a disbursement committee instead of acting immediately, paying the money immediately. Had he done that, the worker argued, “workers’ accounts would have long been credited with the money and there wouldn’t have been anything left for the federal government to reclaim.”
“The state government wasted valuable time with the money,” he continued. “That is why we are now stuck with this talk of the federal government recalling the money. If they had paid us as soon as they got the refund, nobody would have thought of recalling anything.”
To another, “this is unfair. The Buhari Government raised our hopes in one breath, then, dashed them in another. It is sad.”
“I have promised those I owed that I would pay part of the debt on Wednesday (September 26, 2018),” he continued. “I have also planned to use part of the money to buy books for my children and pay the school fees. But, I’m now helpless.”
Meanwhile, the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Godwin Anya, expressed shock over the development but said it was too early for him to comment because he had not seen the details of the recall.
“I don’t know the reason for the recall of the Paris Club refund,” he said. “Everybody had been expecting to be paid because the governor had directed the payment of the arrears on Monday. I don’t know the reason for that nonsense. I don’t know where the country is heading.”
In its reaction, the state government described the recall of the Paris Club refund as “a confirmation of the trajectory of intimidation and victimization by the powers that be.”
Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Media and ICT, Tahav Agerzua, observed that it was strange in accounting parlance to pay money into somebody’s or government’s account and suddenly withdraw before the beneficiary could access it.
Here are Agerzua’s exact words: This is another form of impunity, desperation and intemperance by the All Progressives Congress and it’s unfortunate because the money is what is due to the state.
“This is not a gift. It is a legitimate right of the government. This is part of series of moves aimed at subjugating the people. This action has shown clearly that the APC cannot protect the people.
“There is serious anger in the land as a result of recalling of the Paris Club refund by the federal government. The people now know who their enemies and oppressors are. Benue people should rise up and vote out APC government in 2019.”