MUST READ!! The True Story Behind Benue Wage Bill

Hurray!!! The Engr Abounu Salary Emergency Committee has succeeded in reducing the State's salary bill from N7.8 billion to N4.8 billion and plans to bring it down to N4.3 billion shortly. For a Committee that was able to reduce the Wage Bill by a mere N500 million after almost six months of work, getting the bill down by N3.5 billion in less than two months is indeed magical. It is a feat that no state has been able to achieve; not even the Federal Government! And this is without any downsizing of staff, retrenchment, and reduction of salaries as was earlier announced. 

Like the N107 billion, we need to know if Governor Suswam's administration is culpable. If it was (I'm only thinking) screaming headlines would have gone beyond the skies of Africa by now. But since they haven't, it is obvious that the internal cabal is responsible; a cabal that government is well aware of. Government knows the owners of Benue's ghost workers. Government knows those who are plundering and siphoning Benue's Commonwealth. It is an open secret.

While we congratulate the Deputy Governor and his team, we eagerly wait to be told how this feat was achieved. Other States can again use the Benue Model! We equally want to know how many ghost workers are involved. N4.3 billion is ordinarily more than half (50%) of the State's total work force. That is intriguing as it is interesting, yet alarming.

We need to know what punitive measures are to be meted out to the brains behind this big scam and huge rape of Benue State and Benue people. We will need to be told how long this has been going on, those responsible, and how the billions already siphoned will be recovered. In order to ensure that Benue people get justice, the EFCC must be invited to take up and take over this matter urgently and squarely. No internal arrangement will be acceptable. And President Buhari must hear about this!

Multiply N4.3 billion by 30 months (June 2015 - December 2017 even though it stretches way behind). That gives N129 billion. This is the amount the cabal has siphoned from Benue's Salary Coffers alone (minus the other plunder subheads) and sent thousands of innocent Benue workers and citizens to an early needless grave. This is genocide that must be visited with the harshest of penalties. 

Do you know the suffering Benue workers and people were put through and are still going through? Do you know the grief in homes across Benue State because of loved ones and bread winners that have died because of this salary debacle? Do you know how many marriages that have crashed and how many homes that have scattered? Do you know the rate and extent of family dislocation and displacement? Do you know the mental and physical anguish and trauma people have been put through? Do you know how many lives that have been shattered because some people somewhere decided to corner Benue's wealth to themselves? 

This government has done well to have finally unearthed and exposed the caterpillars of Benue's Commonwealth. We salute their courage and resilience (if indeed it is). But they have a duty not only to reveal the identities of these cruel men but to go after them and recover every penny that they have stolen, and then punish them appropriately! If this is not done, it will be clear to all that this government has set up the Mother of All Deceits in Benue History! And Benue people will respond appropriately in 2019!

Written By Samuel Gar