Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, has disclosed that the state government was targeting an additional loan of N200 million monthly to pay workers’ salaries in the state.
Suswam disclosed this at Adikpo, Kwande Council Area on Monday. He was in the council area to commission the Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) office situated in Adikpo.
The governor said it has become imperative to borrow in order to pay workers who have been owed for several months.
Suswam, while addressing some members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in the area, defended his government, saying that the non-payment of workers’ salaries was a global issue and not peculiar to Benue state. He said the shortfall resulted from the fall in oil prices.
Dismissing the option of downsize, Suswam said the only available option was to borrow.
He advised the workers to ignore politicians who were out to politicize the issue. He said if the same politicians were in his shoes, they wouldn’t have done better.
He explained further that the process of collecting the loan has already commenced just to ensure that workers and teachers in the state are paid as soon as possible.
He further solicited for the people’s support, asking them to be part of the campaign to return President Jonathan to Aso Rock.
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