Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that President Muham-madu Buhari would extend bailout to states to enable them offset backlog of salaries and liabilities crippling their economic activities across the country.

He made this known yesterday in Makurdi, the state capital, during separate meetings with students and other union leaders from the Benue State University, BSU.

Ortom further revealed that his predecessor, Gabriel Suswam left behind a debt burden of over N90 billion for his administration, contrary to the N9.2 billion debt as claimed by the former governor.

Benue is among the distressed states in the country. Others include Osun, Enugu, Kaduna, Plateau and Imo. Most of the states or their local governments are said to be owing between four to six months salaries of workers amounting to several billions of Naira.

However, according to Ortom, “the list of the debt (left behind by Suswam) include N50 billion incurred from ongoing contracts, N18 billion on certificated contracts, N12 billion on salary arrears and about N10 billion for bonds and bank facilities and loans.”

He stated that the President had agreed to avail the states some lifeline but noted that Benue State government had concluded arrangements to borrow funds to pay one month of the backlog of salary arrears across board and to also ensure the take off of both the executive and legislative arms of government.

He said the decision was prompted by the need to demonstrate to the state work force that he was determined to address their problems and to persuade striking tertiary institu-tion workers to call off their four-months-old strike.

Earlier, President of the BSU Students’ Union Government, Bobby Taver-shima, had lamented that students of the university had been at home for four months but assured that they would not do anything to jeopardize the administration.

Also, a representative of the National Associa-tion of Nigerian Students, NANS, Gideon Obande appealed to Ortom to clear arrears of bursary owed students in order to alleviate their sufferings.

Olamitisoji:
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/salary-crisis-buhari-to-bail-out-states/


By Peter Duru, MAKURDI
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue
State has said that President
Muham-madu Buhari would extend
bailout to states to enable them
offset backlog of salaries and
liabilities crippling their economic
activities across the country.
He made this known yesterday in
Makurdi, the state capital, during
separate meetings with students
and other union leaders from the
Benue State University, BSU.
Ortom further revealed that his
predecessor, Gabriel Suswam
left behind a debt burden of
over N90 billion for his
administration, contrary to the
N9.2 billion debt as claimed by
the former governor.
Benue is among the distressed
states in the country. Others
include Osun, Enugu, Kaduna,
Plateau and Imo. Most of the states
or their local governments are said
to be owing between four to six
months salaries of workers
amounting to several billions of
Naira.
However, according to Ortom, “the
list of the debt (left behind by
Suswam) include N50 billion
incurred from ongoing contracts,
N18 billion on certificated contracts,
N12 billion on salary arrears and
about N10 billion for bonds and
bank facilities and loans.”
He stated that the President had
agreed to avail the states some
lifeline but noted that Benue State
government had concluded
arrangements to borrow funds to
pay one month of the backlog of
salary arrears across board and to
also ensure the take off of both
the executive and legislative arms
of government.
He said the decision was prompted
by the need to demonstrate to the
state work force that he was
determined to address their
problems and to persuade striking
tertiary institu-tion workers to call
off their four-months-old strike.
Earlier, President of the BSU
Students’ Union Government,
Bobby Taver-shima, had lamented
that students of the university had
been at home for four months but
assured that they would not do
anything to jeopardize the
administration.
Also, a representative of the
National Associa-tion of Nigerian
Students, NANS, Gideon Obande
appealed to Ortom to clear arrears
of bursary owed students in order
to alleviate their sufferings.

patrick89:
what kind of country are we operating? Why should these states get any bail out? If they are not going to sustain the state. They should shut the state down.. Let them collapse to another state.. This kind of thing is really annoying. PMB should not try that shit! It is a no no for me!!

Tightguy:
REALLY ?
If by any chance this news is true , then its a case of mixed feeling for me.
1. At least i am happy that the workers in the affected states would finally get their salaries , ohhpppssss.
2. What measures would the FG put in place to prevent this issue from becoming a recurrent decimal in the near future ?
3. We were made to understand that the FG as at last month was borrowing to pay workers' salary. What now becomes their fate when/if they decide to add to this burden from salary of workers in some states ??
4. What if the situation of falling oil prices doesn't improve , how will those same affected states cope ?

modath:

Thank God for this lifeline, the workers will not only smile (which is paramount), also the daily updates by those who call attention to their plight not for empathy sake but just to mock their choices will cease.

BackDatAssUp:

At the end of the day, Nigeria Delta resources is what you want to use to pay off the stupid1ty of your useless governor.


It won't work.

No amnesty for Boko Haram and definitely no financial bail out for your Odenni Rauf Ooni Gbese

modath:


Oh God!! Mama Piss left open your cage again abi , that woman will learn one day to use a leash as well!!! #yeyenatu

funlord:

This makes no sense? I hope PMB knows that the governors who swallowed this cash are still alive and have not even started spending their loot! Why is the nigerian government always afraid of dealing severely with looters? This would just encourage more lootocracy in the current regime! Naija Is a joke abeg!