By Clement Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Benue State Government has approved ₦2.3 billion for the payment of 12 months’ outstanding salary arrears owed to academic staff of tertiary institutions in the state.
The government also approved ₦2.9 billion for the implementation of the second phase of the Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES 2.0), as part of efforts to strengthen social protection and improve the livelihoods of vulnerable residents.
The approvals were among major decisions reached at the State Executive Council meeting held on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at Government House, Makurdi.
The Information Officer, Government House, Makurdi, Kehe Hon, disclosed this in a statement released on the official X handle of the Benue State Government on Thursday, November 12.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Solomon Iorpev, said Council also approved the implementation of 25 and 35 per cent salary increments for members of the Academic Staff Union of Tertiary Institutions of Benue State (ASUTIBS).
According to him, the salary adjustment will attract an additional monthly financial commitment of ₦191.9 million.
The Council also approved the domestication of the Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS) for staff of the Benue State House of Assembly and the House of Assembly Commission.
In another major decision, the Council approved ₦498.9 million as a variation for the ongoing rural electrification project covering 12 communities along the Ihugh axis of Vandeikya Local Government Area.
The Commissioner for Rural Development and Cooperatives, Dr. Ortese Yanmar, said the project was about 90 per cent completed, identifying Ihugh, Bako, Abaki, Tse-Alia, Mbausu, Ngehe, Hembe and Anhyula among the benefiting communities.
He attributed the additional funding to increased costs of construction materials, expressing confidence that the electrification project would be completed before Christmas.
On the NG-CARES 2.0 programme, the Commissioner for Finance, Michael Oglegba, explained that the initiative had previously supported rural communities through borehole construction, school renovations, healthcare facilities, cash transfers and business support.
He said the fresh approval would sustain and expand the interventions across the state.
The Director-General of the Benue State Budget and Economic Planning Commission, Prof. Jerome Andohol, also disclosed that Council approved the domestication of the National Chart of Accounts and the adoption of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)-compliant budgeting for local governments.
He explained that the initiative would harmonise budgeting and financial reporting across local governments, strengthen accountability and ensure more efficient utilisation of public resources.
Andohol further revealed that Benue’s social register currently contains close to 500,000 vulnerable households, representing approximately 1.7 million people, captured under the NG-CARES intervention framework.
Meanwhile, the State Executive Council celebrated Princess Adeja International College, Gboko, for emerging the overall best international secondary school in Nigeria for the sixth consecutive time at the Nigerian International Secondary School Model United Nations Competition.
The school reportedly won 37 individual awards at the competition.
The Commissioner for Education and Knowledge Management, Dr. Adamu Margaret Ijaguwua, also announced that Government Girls’ College, Makurdi, which represented Benue at a competition organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, secured third position at the North-Central level.
She said Governor Hyacinth Alia had directed that arrangements be made to receive and honour the outstanding students of Princess Adeja International College in recognition of their achievements.
On security, Iorpev said Council received encouraging reports of relative calm across the state, assuring that Benue remained open to visitors and political campaigners, provided they complied with due process and relevant security protocols.
He particularly warned that individuals or organisations seeking access to internally displaced persons’ camps managed by the state government must obtain the necessary permission and security clearance.
The Council also observed a minute’s silence in honour of the late Justice Adam Onum, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice who later served as Chief Judge of Benue State.
According to the statement, Governor Alia had directed that necessary arrangements be made for the state government to participate fully in the late jurist’s burial.
