Unpaid Salaries: Benue civil servant who now hawks groundnuts to survive, shares story

Mr Godwin Oga, a 46-year-old staff of Benue State Environmental Sanitation Agency (BENSESA) who has resorted to hawking groundnuts on the streets of the state capital, Makurdi to survive, shared his story with Benue.com.ng.
The father of three revealed that he started the business last month after he was unable to provide food for his family following governments in ability to pay salaries for several months.

“I have so far spent 15 years in service with BENSESA and have also been screened in the ongoing state government screening exercise.
“I started this groundnut business earlier in June this year to prevent hunger and starvation of my family and to buy medications” He explained.

Mr Oga added that despite being a laughing stock, he preferred the business to stealing, urging other civil servants in the same situation as his, to also seek alternative means of survival.
According to reports, The Benue state government owes upwards of five months unpaid salaries to state governments workers and eight months for local government workers and teachers; pensioners are also owed over a year’s wages.