Suswam plans last minute recruitment

With less than five weeks to the end of his tenure, the outgoing governor of Benue s

tate, Dr Gabriel Suswam has embarked on massive recruitment of over 6000 applicants for the state civil service.

This is even as the state governmnet owes public servants salaries of over 6 months and pensions that have accrued to over 11 months.

But the governor-elect, Dr Samuel Ortom has warned the outgoing administration not recruit any new applicant into the state civil service that is already compiling handover notes.

Dr Suswam is also believed to have connived with the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia and the Chairman Benue Internal Revenue Service ( BIRS ), Mr. Gabriel Asen to fast forward the salaries of the already BIRS staff numbering about 2000, who have since been absorbed into the state service without pay to effect from February 2015.

This tactic by the governor is to plant a shaky start for the incoming administration.

The plan includes to absorb all the SURE - P staff who are over 3000 and also giving the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), management an order to recruit over 700 staff under the guise of replacements which has already begun in various ministries.

The new staff who will resume duties by May, are said to have their appointments back dated several months to cover for some financial loop holes in the government where some appropriated funds cannot be accounted for, making it necessary for a sub head to be created for these monies to be expended.

This arrangement is not restricted to the state civil service alone as the Local Government Service Commission ( LGSC), has also gotten the mandate to employ an undisclosed number of staff.

It will be recalled that since the inception of Governor Suswam's administration in 2007, there was an  embargo placed on employment  and any other recruitments, this even became stringent as there emerged a paucity of funds which led to months on non-payment of salaries.

Meanwhile, the governor-elect, Dr Samuel Ortom while addressing party leaders at a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi today at the Royal Choice Inn warned that any new recruitment carried out but the outgoing government after he was declared winner in the April 11 governorship polls will be reversed.

He reasoned that giving fresh appointments in the absence of unpaid salaries would amount to high insensitivity and will not be condoned.