Delta council boils over unpaid salaries, workers locked out by security guards

Palpable tension and uproar enveloped Oshimili South local government Council in Delta State on Thursday, following unpaid workers’ salaries in the past 19 months.

It was gathered that workers of the local government council groan under 19 months unpaid salaries by the Council’s Chairman, Mr. Uche Osedabe who allegedly threatened to sack any of them who failed to resume for duty on or before next Monday.

In a mild drama, aggrieved workers of the council in the early hours of Thursday protested what they described as inhuman and wicked act allegedly meted out on them by the Council boss, but they met a brick wall when security guards attached to the Council locked them and the Council boss out.

The state Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa had on Monday released N90 billion to the 25 local government councils in the state for payment of outstanding salaries and arrears, but this was not to be with Oshimili South Council boss who allegedly vowed not to pay, rather to upset debts of executed projects at the Council’s areas.

At the Secretariat of the Council, the main gate into the premises was under lock and key by the security guards to prevent the Chairman and the workers in and out in a planned protest by workers over their unpaid salaries for 19 months.

While the workers resorted to their protest outside the Secretariat, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of local government Employee (NULGE,), Mrs Maryjane Obiazor intervened by breaking the keys to open the gate for the workers including visitors to have their way in and out.

Eyewitness Mariam Okafor said the workers were Midway in their protest stopped by the NULGE boss who assured them of ensuring their salaries and arrears are paid on or before Monday next week.

Speaking to Journalists, The NULGE boss, Mrs Maryjane Obiazor said she decided to open the gate because nobody informed her of the protest or the matter, adding that there was no right whatsoever by anyone to lock the gate of Council Secretariat,

and frowned at what she described as evil act executed by the Security Guards said to be operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil defense Corps (NSCDC) drafted to the Council

The protesting Workers Who Spoke to Journalists, One of them, Shedrack Ndeke described the Council boss as wicked and heartless adding “the State Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa had released funds N90 billion to all the councils to pay out standing salaries and arrears, others have been paying but Oshimili South refused to pay us,

we have been borrowing money to Survive, and now that the money has come the man has refused to pay us, we are appealing to the Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa to call the council boss to order and pay us our money, We are hungry and our children can’t go to school because of school fees;”

But the Council boss, Uche Osadebe in a swift reaction told journalists that his refusal to pay was informed by the outstanding debt of the council, adding that he was willing to pay if the workers were ready to be patience with him.

On the locked gate, the council boss said” investigation into the act is ongoing and the security guards cannot go unpunished in their evil act, we will not tolerate lawlessness”

As at the time of this report, the aggrieved workers threatened to write the state House of Assembly and the Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa to look into their issue with a view to arresting the situation.