Cephas Iorhemen 
The immediate past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has totally disagreed with his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, over salary and pension records in the state, accusing the current administration of misleading the public.
Ortom’s reaction follows claims by Tyokever Felix, an ally of Governor Alia, who alleged that during Ortom’s tenure from 2015 to 2023, he withheld senior staff salaries for 26 months and junior staff salaries for 18 months, pensions for 36 months, and local government staff salaries for 78 months.
In a statement issued through his former Senior Special Assistant on Media, Barnabas Agashua, Ortom challenged Alia to disclose Benue’s monthly allocation from the Federation Account and the state’s current wage bill to prove transparency.
Ortom provided a historical account of salary and pension arrears in Benue, asserting that all previous administrations, including military regimes, owed salaries and pensions.
“Governor Aper Aku owed teachers for an entire year, while Governor Orshio Adasu also owed several months of salaries.
“Governor George Akume faced similar challenges with salary and pension payments.
“When Governor Gabriel Suswam vacated office in 2015, he left behind ₦72 billion in unpaid pensions and seven months of salary arrears,” he noted.
He explained that upon assuming office, he inherited a significant backlog and immediately began addressing the issues.
“Nigeria experienced two recessions and the impact of COVID-19 during my tenure, which drastically reduced federal allocations.
“Despite these challenges, I consistently paid salaries for most of my two terms and implemented the ₦18,000 minimum wage for Benue teachers,” Ortom said.
He added that by the time he left office, he had reduced the pension burden inherited from Suswam from ₦72 billion to ₦30 billion, paying off ₦42 billion. He also noted that his administration domesticated the PENCOM law (Contributory Pension Scheme) in the state and contributed over ₦8 billion to bring Benue closer to the required threshold, enabling access to funds for clearing pension arrears.
“I inherited seven months of salary arrears from Suswam. Out of the 96 months in my eight years in office, I paid 91 months, leaving only five months unpaid,” he clarified.
Ortom argued that Alia’s administration was enjoying a financial advantage due to President Bola Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidies, which has significantly increased state allocations.
“I received an average of ₦3.5 billion per month, while Alia is receiving an average of ₦15 billion per month! That is why no state in Nigeria is currently owing salaries and pensions. The issue of salaries should no longer be a concern,” he said.
He further criticized the current administration for celebrating salary payments as an achievement rather than focusing on developmental projects, as other governors are doing.
Ortom also alleged that his government was denied several entitlements, including funds from bonds, Stamp Duty, SURE-P, and Signature Bonus, due to his stance against herdsmen attacks and injustices by the previous federal administration.
He claimed that Alia’s administration has now received these funds.
“The Alia administration should come clean and tell Benue people how much it has received from Abuja as federal allocations and the state’s actual wage bill,” Ortom added.
