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Staff members at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi are facing severe financial hardship due to prolonged salary delays, with many reportedly going unpaid for extended periods despite assurances from the state government.
According to accounts from hospital insiders, employees—particularly those recruited in 2024—have worked for four to six months without receiving any salary in some cases. Reports indicate that only one month’s pay has been disbursed to affected staff, leaving the rest in arrears amounting to a minimum of three months’ salaries for many. This situation has left workers struggling to meet basic personal and family obligations, fueling widespread frustration and disillusionment.
Staff have openly criticized the hospital administration’s public claims of timely payments, describing them as misleading and disconnected from the reality on the ground. The discontent has contributed to broader tensions at the facility, including ongoing industrial actions by various health worker unions that have disrupted services.
Governor Hyacinth Alia and some of his supporters have maintained that salaries are being processed according to schedule. However, affected employees and sources within the hospital strongly dispute this, insisting that the ground-level experience tells a starkly different story of persistent non-payment and administrative lapses.
Critics have also pointed to shortcomings in the management of BSUTH under Chief Medical Director Dr. Terungwa Stephen Hwande, attributing the payroll issues in part to inadequate oversight and administrative inefficiencies. Calls have intensified for greater accountability and transparency in how staff compensation is handled.
As the arrears continue to mount, hospital employees, along with advocates and labor groups, are urging immediate intervention by relevant authorities. They demand the full settlement of outstanding salaries to alleviate the hardship on workers and to rebuild trust in the institution’s leadership and operations. The ongoing crisis highlights deeper challenges in ensuring consistent welfare for healthcare professionals in the state, at a time when reliable medical services are critically needed.
