Benue State Government owes some teachers four years’ salary arrears, according to Mr. David Tsevende, Chairman of Benue State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB.

He said this in Makurdi in reaction to an enquiry on reports that 150 primary school teachers, recruited by the board in 2008, had not been paid anything since they assumed duty four years ago.

The teachers had pleaded for the payment of their salaries and had described their situation as “grave injustice.”

The teachers, who pleaded anonymity for fear of being penalised, said they had undergone series of screenings without receiving the salaries.

They complained that the non-payment of their salaries had negatively impacted on their families, adding that “it has been difficult trying to make ends meet.”

Tsevende blamed the delay in the payment of the salaries on the 2008 Verification Exercise Committee which, he said, recommended the termina-tion of the appointments of the teachers.

Some of them said they had been unable to continue with the payment of rents and had been evicted. They said if the government does not need their services any more, they should be laid off rather than made to work without pay.

They, however, said in spite of the hardships they were facing they would not resign, claiming that if they did, their labour would be in vain.