Palpable tension and uproar on Thursday enveloped Oshimili South Local Government Council in Delta State following unpaid workers’ salaries in the past nineteen months.
It was gathered that workers of the Oshimili South Local Government Council groan under nineteen months unpaid salaries by the council’s Chairman, Mr, Uche Osedabe who allegedly threatened to sack any of them who failed to resume on or before Monday next week.
In a mild drama, aggrieved workers of the council in the early hours of Thursday in protest on what they described as inhuman and wicked act allegedly meted out on them by the Council boss were locked out by security guards attached to the Council.
The State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa had on Monday released N90billion 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 allegedly vowing not to pay.
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 of the building.
While the workers resorted to protesting 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 that their salaries and arrears would be 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
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 patient 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 Governor Dr Ifeanyi Okowa to look into their issue with a view to arresting the situation.
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