NULGE protests alleged diversion of dues to private account, decries years of non-employment in LGAs

By Ifeizu Joe

Local Government workers in Anambra State on have staged a protest to the Anambra State Government House over alleged diversion of check off dues of members of the union into a private account.

The workers under the aegis of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) also protested the non-employment of fresh staff into the local government system for years, saying the service may go into extinction.

A communique raised by the union after an enlarged State Executive Council meeting, with representatives from the 21 local government areas and observers from the national secretariat, before embarking on the protest, decried the activities of few individuals in the union who want to ignite crisis in it.

The communique was part of documents, including placards, which were tendered at the government house to representative of the state governor, Mrs Joy Soba who received and addressed the protesters.

State chairman and secretary of the union, Comrade Eucharia Ughanwunne and Comrade Barr Ike Abugu who spoke on behalf of the union at the protest said: “There is threat of extinction of local government service in Anambra State.

“The last employment into Local Government service of Anambra State was in 2001. While members are leaving through death and retirement, there has been no replacement efforts, making the service vulnerable to imminent extinction.

“We are also here to protest the unlawful diversion of four months NULGE statutory check off dues by the office of Accountant General for local government. That position is reserved for career officer, imposition of a non career officer is not only inimical to the service, but a recipe for career retrogression and unproductivity.”

In their communique, the group itemized various other complaints that necessitated their embarking on a protest.

They included: turning of promotion into money making venture, compulsory obtainment of OND qualification from UNIZIK, the sacking of over 100 staff for alleged certificate forgery, compulsory induction of members into Institute of Chattered Local Government and Public Administration of Nigeria and retention of some HODs who have served beyond eight years on same position.

The workers said though they are working for the re-election of the governor because of his sterling performance, they are unhappy that some appointees of the governor were working against him by trying to ignite crisis in their union.

They begged the governor to direct immediate and urgent massive employment of workers into the local government service commission to save it from extinction, immediate release of their withheld check off dues and immediate reinstatement of illegally dismissed staff.