Bayelsa NULGE, councils’ row deepens

The row between local government areas in Bayelsa State and the state’s chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees has deepened.

Our corespondent learnt the escalation of the crisis was due to the alleged suspension of the principal officers of seven out of the eight LGAs in the state by NULGE leadership.

President of the union, Akpos Ekeigha, was said to be enraged that the suspended officials did not heed his directive to deduct workers’ salaries to enable the union to buy vehicles for executive members.
But Ekeigha said the suspension was meant to address the alleged highhandedness by the principal officers.

He complained that the officaials were carrying on as if they were above the union, lamenting that they refused to obey the union’s directives.

The councils have continued to resist the order by NULGE that salaries of workers should be deducted and transmitted to its account to enable it to buy cars for its officials.

The local government management had insisted that it would only obey the order if all the workers expressly gave their consent to the directive.

Chairman, Bayelsa State Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Talford Ongolo, had earlier advised NULGE to be content with its statutory dues, describing the directive as illegal.
Findings by our correspondent showed that NULGE generates about N22m from its statutory dues paid by workers in the eight and the 32 Rural Development Areas.

It was discovered that the 32 RDAs transmitted N11m to the account of the union monthly.
Further breakdown indicated that Nembe Local Government Area paid N1.2m; Southern Ijaw, N1.6m; Yenagoa, N1.6m and  Sagbama N1.2m to NULGE monthly.

Others were N1.2m; Ogbia, N1.1m; Kolokuma/Opokuma, N640,000 and Ekeremor, N1.9m.
In spite of the amount acruable to the union through statutory dues, the leadership of NULGE had insisted that the money was not enough to procure vehicles for its officials.