This is to draw the attention of Governor Hyacinth Iornem Alia of Benue state to an issue of state importance. I was conscious that the bureaucracies of governance will not allow my thoughts get across to you timely as has always been the case. I hereby chose this public medium with hope that my words will get across to your Excellency.
The issue of Benue wage bill has been lingering for the last eight years. This matter which became during the Governor Samuel Ortom era has caused many pains to Benue workers. The people were shocked when Governor Ortom announced that the state had a wage bill of over N7bn.
His predecessor Senator Gabriel Suswam quickly denied it, saying the last salary he paid was N2.7bn and there was no way the bill could rise so astronomically. Ortom then set up an adhoc committee headed by Dr Adyorough. The Adyorough committee discovered a lot of ghost workers. It was reported that while in Otukpo for the Benue South senatorial district screening exercise, a particular local government had over 200 ghost workers.
These ghost workers were alleged to belong to a prominent politician. Rumours had it that Adyorough became angry and vowed to expose such evil. While Adyorough was rounding up the work and preparing to submit the report, he was trailed to his house and assassinated in the presence of his wife! What cruelty. That report never saw the light of day. Adyorough’s murder is still under investigation while the wage bill is skyrocketing.
The question is, who exactly is behind this enterprise of ghost workers in Benue state? Ghost workers enterprise cannot thrive without the consent of the civil servants. What exactly makes auditor generals and accountant generals stupendously rich? Could ghost workers enterprise be one of the businesses they run? I am only thinking aloud because this is troubling. In the local government system, for example, the directors general of services and administrations as well as accountant if not checked held properly can rubbish the local government chairmen. These are civil servants, not politicians. Your Excellency, you must look deep if you are interested in solving the problem of ghost workers in Benue state.
In 2015, the Ortom government cancelled some appointments made by his predecessor. The Suswam administration employed lecturers at the College of Education Katsina Ala following a rigorous process that involved even the National Commission of Colleges of Education. Ortom cancelled it.
Today, that college of education has ghost workers close to the number of staff that were cancelled. This is a clear pointer that some close advisers of the governor who stopped him from accepting the recruited staff went behind and used the list for ghost workers. Many people around you preventing certain actions are primarily protecting their businesses and not you or the state.
The cabal behind the ghost workers enterprise is not from outside. They are the closest people to government. Some either directly or through their proxies may even be in the committees screening ghost workers. Therefore the entire workforce should not be screened by the same committee. After the physical verification exercise, deploy technology in this matter. Bank verification numbers should be used to match salary accounts. This will help sanitise the system.
Benue state needs professionals. Don’t just reward party loyalists with appointments to head MDAs. You have developed a very good blueprint. Look beyond the everyday people you see so that you can assemble a team that will make Benue state great again. It is good to give jobs to allies but learn from the President Muhammadu Buhari government, whose appointees were nepotistic.
You will agree that the most people that corrupt your government are your kinsmen. They believe they can do and undo without any consequences. You must stand firm in your quest to rescue Benue more than standing with certain interests because in the end, it is your name that will be called not anyone else’s. As you prepare to assemble your team for a new Benue, may God guide you to get the best hands that will help you write your name in gold and not those who will use your administration to expand their ghost workers enterprises.
Martin Iorsamber,
former senatorial candidate,
Benue North East, 2023
