Samuel Ortom claimed on Arise News television that the civil service has not embarked on industrial actions since his emergence as the governor of Benue state.
This was as the governor was giving remarks on the scorecard of his eight-year administration in the state.
Reacting to the alleged statement by Hyacinth Alia, the governor-elect, that Benue is in an ‘intensive care unit’, Ortom said;
“It’s an unfortunate statement coming from honourable Alia, the governor-elect. I feel sad about what he said. Go back to history. Since I came in, the civil service has not been on strike and there must be a reason for them understanding with me why they should not go on strike because my government has been transparent, and ensured equity and fairness in all things that we do in Benue state.”
Ortom was first elected governor of the state in 2015 and got re-elected in 2019 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Claim: Ortom said Benue civil service has not embarked on strike actions since he became governor.
Verification
The CDD Election War Room checked the veracity of the claim and found that it is false.
In October 2017, Benue civil servants embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries.
The development was also reported by Daily Trust and Channels Television as seen here and here.
Similarly, the state civil servants had in September, embarked on a seven-day warning strike.
Also in January 2022, members of the Academic Staff Union of Tertiary Institutions in Benue state embarked on an indefinite strike.
Verdict: FALSE
The claim by Samuel Ortom that the Benue civil service has not embarked on strike actions since he became governor of the state, is false. CDD Election War Room found multiple credible reports of strike actions by the state’s civil service in the last seven and half years.
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