It appears that the essence of creating the local government system has been defeated in Rivers State as some caretaker committee, CTC chairmen appointed by Governor Nyesom Wike to pilot the affairs of the councils have overnight turned themselves to thieves and fraudsters.
Some of them since they took over power in last November to manage their irrespective councils, do not border about the welfare of the staff of their LGAs, but rather looking for avenues and loopholes to defraud the council for their selfish gain and self-aggrandizement.
Speaking to our correspondent on Monday, the National Co-ordinator of a pro-democracy group in the state known as Rivers New Mission, RNM, Chief Ibibo Atubo expressed shock on the ungodly attitude of some of the CTC chairmen in the LGAs towards the development of their councils.
Chief Atubo blasted the CTC chairmen of not having the interest of the rural dwellers at heart, the RNM described them as fraudsters that unknown to the governor are to spoil his administration.
The RNM coordinator called for their sack and demanded that they should be replaced with credible people that can manage the affairs of the council workers.
The group lamented that alot of the CTC chairmen have not paid some workers in their councils pretending to carry out auditing exercise, “which is fraudulent. That is why we are saying that they are thieves and criminals”.
The RNM which applauded Governor Wike for his giant strides and condemned the council chairmen of not borrowing a leaf from the governor in his New vision of developing every part of the state.
Investigations had shown that the CTC chairmen under the guise of auditing exercise and falling federal allocations have allegedly embezzled more than four hundred million naira (N400m). This money is meant for the payment of salaries, arrears and other entitlements.
In Degema Local Government Area, council workers of the junior cadre have not been paid for two (2) months.
The CTC chairman, Chief Tonye Tyger on his assumption of office had developed a strange pattern of payment by reduction of workers salary. Each month he frustrates the workers by giving some of them peanuts.
Information reaching our newsdesk had it that Chief Tyger had owed the council staff to the turn of N19m in the past three (3) months.
Due to his (chief Tyger) non-challant attitude towards the workers’ welfare, the staff of the council last week threatened to embark on protest to make their plights known to the public.
In one of the riverine local government areas, the CTC chairman collected N30m from the last December allocation that meant for salary payment to settle members of political platform and other loyalists. This financial recklessness exhibited by the CTC chairman could best be described as corruption of the highest order.
Reports had just filtered into our newsroom that several of the CTC chairmen are spending council funds without meeting with other members of the CTC in the usual Finance and General Purpose Committee, F&GPC meeting. This is another way the CTC chairmen are taking the laws into their hands.
This medium gathered that in so many LGAs, the CTC chairmen and members are on war path over the reckless spending and the fraudulent nature of the chairmen.
Last week, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Franklyin Ajinwo has threatened to stage a peaceful protest for what he calls “Non-payment of council workers across the twenty-three (23) LGAs”. He specifically mentioned a CTC Chairman in one of the Ikwerre speaking LGAs whom according to him, has not paid his staff in the past three (3) months.###
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