A social critic and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) elder in Benue state, Chief Abu King Shuluwa has blamed the ongoing strike by primary school teachers on planlessness on the part of Governor Gabriel Suswam’s administration.
Chief Shuluwa lamented, during an interaction with newsmen yesterday, in his Makurdi residence, that the eight month-old strike is ‘unfortunate’, adding that it is caused by inexperience and wrong advise to the governor by some over-zealous bureaucrats.
He noted that the implementation of the minimum wage was faulty, alluding that it was meant for only those who were earning less than N18, 000.”I advise the governor to go back to the drawing board, admit that an error was made and ensure that salaries of civil servants who are earning too much is reviewed. The governor should always seek counsel from wise people on issues like this”, he advised.
The former member of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission also frowned at the huge debt burden of over N7.4 billion owed pensioners in the state and urged the governor to source for funds and pay them.
“Owing pensioners is not good, because it borders on their welfare and those of their family members. The governor got his priorities wrong from the outset; he should have focused attention on settling pensioners before embarking on other projects”, he stated, maintaining that the governor does not consult with the party elders, especially on the recent N11 billion loan he acquired from the capital market.
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