By Ifeizu Joe
President General of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alhaji Aliyu Haruna Kankara has led stakeholders of the union in Anambra to the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon TonyCollins Nwabunwanne on a courtesy visit.
Kankara who was in Anambra because of the protracted leadership crisis rocking the union in the state also led a visit to the Head of Service, Barr Mrs Theodora Igwegbe, to seek a resolution to the crisis.
The President General said the only recognized faction of the union in the state is the one led by Comrade Eucharia Ughanwunne. During his courtesy call to both officials, Kankara warned that it was inappropriate to deal with any other faction other than the one led by the recognized state officials.
Recall that NULGE recently protested to the Light House, Awka, which is the seat of government, threatening to occupy the place for seven days if government continues to deal with the illegal faction.
The protesting workers also presented some of their challenges at the government house. They included stunted growth in promotion, sales of promotion forms, deduction of check off dues without remittance among others.
Hon TonyCollins Nwabunwanne who addressed journalists after their meeting with the union said: “We have heard their complaints, we have also heard from their rival faction, and I can assure you that this will be speedily resolved.”
Meanwhile, at the office of the Head of Service, Kankara while addressing her said: “We are here because we have little misunderstanding in NULGE in Anambra State, which we wish to bring before you. We are a body governed by laws, but we have some people who never stood for election who are clamouring for the leadership of the union.
“We are here because you are the mother of all civil servants and we want you to use your good office to resolve this crisis. It is unnecessary and it is giving Anambra a bad name that someone can just wake up and declare himself the chairman of NULGE in Anambra State.
Reacting to this, the Head of Service, Barr Mrs Theodora Igwegbe complained that she had not been officially communicated about the crisis and was waiting to work with any faction that approached her.
She said none of the two factions had approached her, but she had heard of the crisis from other sources and felt it was a slight for the union not to have reached out to her.
He said: “I want to let you all know that I’m an advocate of peace. I want to also say that in the two or three years that I have been here, no NULGE officer has come here to discuss any crisis, whereas it is the hos that has the power to resolve such crisis.
“For that, I decided to keep mute and work with whoever wins the fight. No one got me into it and I wasn’t going to dabble into it.”
She however said that now that she has been approached to wade in, she will wade in and ensure that the right thing is done.
She however called for cessation of all protests and letters to government or threats of occupying the government house, saying if all the parties agree that to work together, then they must not engage in anything that will jeopardize the new found peace.
