Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has said that preliminary investigation carried out by his government shows that the state is currently owing N90 billion debt.
Governor Ortom listed the debts as N50 billion for ongoing contracts, N18 billion for certified ones, N12 billion for salary arrears and about ten billion for bonds and bank loans.
Ortom made this disclosure at separate meetings with students and other union leaders from the Benue State University at the old Banquet Hall of Benue Peoples House.
He said he would also attend to urgent issues of accreditation at the University and appealed for understanding and support.
According to him, the Benue State government has concluded arrangements to borrow funds to pay one month salary across the board and also ensure the take off of both the executive and legislative arms of government.
He said he had received offers from some banks and would soon approach the State House of Assembly for approval to obtain a loan.
The governor said all his efforts to persuade the Academic Staff Union of Universities of BSU to call off their strike had failed and that they had insisted that he pays at least one month salary.
He also appealed to all unions at the institution to call off their actions and give him the opportunity to tackle their challenges.
The Governor advised that the plight of students and their parents as well as that of patients at the Teaching Hospital should be considered.
President of the student union government, Comrade Bobby Tavershima, 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.
Representative of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Comrade Obande Obande appealed to the Governor to clear arrears of bursary owed students.
Professor Julius Ashiko who led the delegation of the unions regretted that medical students had spent 13 years instead of six and expressed the hope that the unions would consider the appeal while the Governor makes efforts to tackle the challenges.
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