Edo NLC says State’s Council Chairmen are fraudulent; Lauds Oshiomhole’s directive on salaries

AKHERE Godwin, Benin
The organised Labour in Edo state, has come down hard on local government chairmen in the state, alleging that many

of them were defrauding their councils at the expense of workers and the overall development of their areas. They, therefore, commended the state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for his directive that none of the chairmen should pay themselves salaries or allowances till they have paid their workers.
They also called on the state’s House of Assembly to investigate the accounts of the councils, insisting that staggering cases of fraud will be discovered from such an investigation.
State chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun, who made these statements, said that the governor’s action has exposed the lie hitherto being peddled that the governor was tampering with local government funds.
He said “We want to appreciate the Comrade Governor, Adams Oshiomhole. We are very impressed with the manner he handled the local government issue.
“The governor came out to defend the workers. It was rumoured that Governor Oshiomhole is milking the councils in Edo state, but with this now, it is very clear that the governor has nothing to do with council funds.”
According to him, part of the problem was that many of the council chairmen got their priorities mixed up, usually, motivated by selfish considerations. “Their priority was to pay contractors and get kick-backs, collect security votes and pay themselves salaries and allowances,” he said, stressing that recent revelations have gone to prove that “there is no iota of truth in the rumour that the governor tampers with council funds. Oshiomhole has been vindicated.
“Can you imagine that the ALGON (Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, made of council chairmen) in the state also allocate money to themselves. After the teachers’ deductions, ALGON also deducts some money they spend extravagantly; meanwhile, they owe three to seven months salaries of council workers. These council chairmen are mean, they are there to grab and go. Some of the council chairmen are in their second tenure, they failed the first time, they are failing again, there are about four of them who are not owing. They can be trusted with public positions,” Ademokun said, insisting that it is surprising that some council Chairmen including those of Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba -Okha local governments could not generate internal revenue to pay their workers.
He insisted that the chairmen should be made to account for the monies that had come into the coffers of the councils during their tenure. “When they came into office in 2013, the governor saved a lot of money for them, some got 500 million, some got 300 to 400 million Naira. They lavished that money without proper planning. Some could afford to embark on frivolous journeys abroad. Those council chairmen that cannot pay salaries of council workers are a disgrace to Edo state,” he said.