Thursday, June 4, 2026

The Sun Nigeria

Edo: Special Works beneficiaries decry unpaid allowances

Cross session of the protesters in Benin City

Cross session of the protesters in Benin City

From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin

Beneficiaries of the Federal Government Special Public Work (SPW) in Edo State decried the nonpayment of their stipend by the government.

Addressing journalists in Benin City, Stanley Nosa Okundia, president, Aggrieved Participants of Special Public Work (APSPW), said the group is a body of registered and verified participants of the federal government 774,000 jobs who are yet to be paid after the rigours of bank registration, meeting attendance and participation in the public work.

He said it is very sad to know that until now they are yet to be paid while most of their colleagues have since been paid over five months ago and nothing has been said or attempts made to address this abnormal situation.

Okundia said the situation has forced some into depression and that the government should rise up to the occasion and pay them their entitlements.

‘We use this medium to plead with him to come to our rescue, some of our colleagues have gone into depression and crime while others have committed suicide because of their inability to feed their families, pay school fees, and house rents, this will go a long way to cushion the biting economic hardship bedeviling us,’ he said.

Okundia also called on Festus Keyamo to wade in and ensure that those who enrolled in the scheme are paid.

‘Having known the past record of Mr Festus Keyamo for defending the ‘talakawas’ against oppression and his 774,000 job initiatives for the poor Nigeria masses hence he might not be aware of this development,’ he said.