The Benue State Government has disclosed that its pension arrears have ballooned from N400 million to N1 billion over the past three years, following the discovery of thousands of unrecorded pensioners during a recent data verification exercise.
Despite the growing financial burden, the government has assured both workers and retirees of its continued commitment to offsetting outstanding payments.
The State Commissioner for Finance, Michael Oglegba, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Makurdi.
Oglegba revealed that the current administration inherited heavy debts, including 48 months of unpaid salaries and pensions. “When we assumed office, we found that many pensioners had not been captured in the system for up to three years. Once we included them, the pension backlog rose from N400 million to N1 billion,”; he stated.
He added that salary payments were uneven — some workers were owed 12 months, others up to seven. To address this, the government began phased payments. So far in 2024, five months’ worth of arrears have been cleared, with another five months budgeted for settlement in 2025, depending on available funds.
“We’ve paid off salary backlogs at Benue State University (BSU) and several MDAs. For others still owed beyond six or seven months, payments are ongoing,”; Oglegba said.
The commissioner clarified that while the backlog is being addressed in stages, the government has never claimed to have cleared all outstanding arrears.
On the revalidation exercise, Oglegba said it yielded substantial savings by exposing ghost workers and reducing the monthly wage bill. These savings were redirected to ease pension liabilities.
He also explained that institutions like BSU and Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) are not categorized as civil service but receive monthly government support to pay their staff.
In a bid to improve welfare, the government has implemented a new minimum wage. Salaries for workers on grade levels 7 to 17 were raised from N18,000 to N75,000, while those on levels 1 to 6 now earn N75,000, up from N30,000.
