Not less than eight hundred and fifty (850) employees of Obi Local Government Area of Benue state have protested over non-payment of their 15 months salary arrears by the Benue State Government.

The aggrieved staff who stormed the street of Obi Local Government headquarters, Obaliketyo with placards bearing different inscriptions wondered why the Benue state Government used their names to collect the bail out fund from the Federal Government, without paying them using clumsy excuses that they were ghost workers without genuine employment from the state government.

They said as employees of the local council, they have been enjoying salaries since the year 2010 and were even paid for the month of May and June by the Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration and wondered how they were suddenly screened out as ghost workers as soon as the state got the bail out.

According to the protesting staff, “we are not paid the bail out fund for five months and we are also not paid salaries from July last year till date, totaling fifteen months of arrears,” the stated.

Speaking with journalists, leaders of the aggrieved staff, Ebah Dominic alleged that out of their number, the state government has already started replacing them with new employees without sorting out the issue with them.

He appealed with President Mohammadu Buhari to impress on the Benue state government to pay their outstanding salary arrears and to also replace those sacked to their places of work.

But, in apt reaction, the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Emmanuel Ikpe denied knowing the aggrieved persons as authentic staff of the local government, alleging that someone sat in the comfort of his office and issued employment letters to over 800 persons in Obi local council which had already about 700 employees on its employment.

Ikpe intimated further that the staff biometric verification team sent to the local council were chased away by the acclaimed staff, even as the same group turned down another opportunity given them to come down to Makurdi to get themselves verified.