Benue Information Commissioner Laments Decay, Underfunding in State Information Sector

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Benue State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Solomon Iorpev, has expressed concern over deteriorating infrastructure, inadequate funding, shortage of manpower and poor working conditions across agencies under the ministry.

Iorpev raised the concerns during a working visit to parastatals under the ministry, including Benue Television, Benue State Library, The Voice Newspaper, Benue Printing and Publishing Corporation, Radio Benue and the Bureau for Arts, Culture and Tourism.

The commissioner said the condition of some of the agencies reflected years of neglect and inadequate investment in facilities, equipment and personnel.

At the Benue State Library, Iorpev observed that although the facility was originally built to serve as a major repository for books and reference materials, parts of the structure had deteriorated considerably.

“You see, it is said that a stitch in time saves nine. When one administration after another neglects small things, they turn into big problems,” he said.

A similar situation was observed at the Arts Council, where some projects were said to have remained abandoned for more than 40 years, alongside an acute shortage of manpower.

Radio Benue was also reported to be off the air, largely due to electricity challenges and inadequate working tools.

At Benue Television, the Director-General, Martins Shanyo, told the commissioner that the station had been struggling to maintain transmission, warning that it could go off air completely unless urgent intervention was provided.

The commissioner also inspected the Benue Printing House, where several machines were found to be non-functional, while parts of the facility had damaged ceilings and cracked walls. Some office equipment had also remained unused.

Officials said a GTO printing machine at the facility could be restored to working condition with less than N2 million, potentially easing some of the challenges affecting printing operations.

At The Voice Newspaper, officials attributed the publication’s irregular appearance on newsstands to shortages of newsprint and faults with its offset printing press.

Some employees were also said to be using their personal computers for official assignments because of inadequate working tools.

Staff welfare featured prominently during the commissioner’s visit to The Voice and the Benue Printing House on Wednesday.

Workers raised concerns over weigh-in allowances, Personal Subhead Numbers and alleged arbitrary deductions from their monthly salaries.

Responding, Iorpev said he had already intervened in some of the welfare issues and assured the workers that steps were being taken to address their concerns.

“I have waded into the issues affecting staff and steps have been urgently taken towards addressing them. It will soon be a thing of the past,” he said.

Some employees of The Voice said they had begun to see improvements following the commissioner’s intervention.

Iorpev identified infrastructure deterioration, manpower shortages, non-confirmation of some casual workers, inadequate equipment and materials, as well as poor funding, as recurring challenges across the agencies visited.

Speaking with journalists at the end of the tour, the commissioner said the exercise was necessary to enable him to understand the challenges confronting workers and develop measures to improve the performance of the ministry and its agencies.

He said he would present the findings to Governor Hyacinth Alia and seek the government’s intervention in rehabilitating facilities and strengthening the agencies.

“I intend to raise a memo to his office and constantly remind him that something needs to be done here. Before His Excellency ends his administration after eight years, we would have seen big results,” Iorpev said.

The commissioner disclosed that official memoranda would be prepared for the governor’s consideration and approval, with a view to restructuring operations and improving service delivery across the ministry and its agencies.