Staff at Radio Benue Stage Protest Over Salary Deductions

Staff members of Radio Benue, a state-owned broadcast station in Makurdi, held a peaceful demonstration on Monday, urging Governor Hyacinth Alia to address what they described as significant and unexplained salary deductions.

The protest took place at the station’s headquarters along Old Otukpo Road, where employees gathered to voice their grievances over payroll reductions that some said began in November.

According to a staff member who spoke on condition of anonymity, the action was prompted by a recent disagreement between the station’s union and management. The source stated that union chairman Paul Mandeun had raised the issue directly with Governor Alia during an interdenominational service on January 15, appealing for his intervention.

“The governor expressed no prior knowledge of the deductions and immediately directed the Accountant-General and the Head of Service to investigate and resolve the matter within one week,” the source said.

It was further learned that some employees had reportedly seen deductions of up to ₦72,000 from their salaries, and that earlier written complaints to the Office of the Head of Service had gone unanswered.

The station’s management later issued a query to Mandeun for raising the matter with the governor, an action that reportedly fueled the staff demonstration.

Commissioner for Information Dr. Peter Egbodo confirmed the protest, describing it as a “minor misunderstanding” between union and management. Egbodo stated that he intervened upon passing by the premises and urged that such matters be brought to his attention in the future.

“After addressing them, the situation was brought under control,” the commissioner said.,

Mandeun had also reportedly used the opportunity with the governor to request equipment upgrades, including a new transmitter and solar panels, to improve the station’s broadcasting capacity.

No official statement has yet been released by the station’s management or the state Head of Service’s office regarding the ongoing investigation into the salary deductions.