Join our WhatsApp channel HERE for the latest Benue news and updates!
Staff of the Gboko Local Government Secretariat in Benue State have shut down the secretariat gate in compliance with the ongoing strike directive issued by the State Executive Committee of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).
The industrial action, which has seen large turnout of workers, is primarily over the non-payment of March and April salaries. As of the time of the report, workers are yet to receive their salaries without any clear explanation from the state government.
Comrade John Chiahemba Yongu, the NULGE Chairman in Benue State, addressed the protesting staff members who gathered in large numbers to show solidarity with the strike action.
The workers expressed frustration over what they described as hardship imposed by the administration of Governor Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, especially at a time when citizens are already battling economic difficulties following the removal of fuel subsidy.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Gboko Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Barr. Torseer Yina, proved unsuccessful as he neither picked calls nor returned them.
The shutdown of the Gboko Secretariat adds to the growing list of local government offices affected by the NULGE strike across Benue State, as workers demand the immediate payment of outstanding salaries and improved welfare conditions.
The development is likely to disrupt administrative activities and service delivery at the local government level until the impasse between the union and the state government is resolved.
Further updates are expected as the strike continues.
