Rivers crisis: Call members to order, pro-Wike chairmen tell NULGE president

 The National Union of Local Government Employees' planned demonstration against the police blockade of the 23 local government council secretariats in Rivers State has drawn criticism from the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria.

They also requested that the local government council employees "refrain from any protest that their greedy leaders want to drag them into," and they asked the NULGE to summon its members throughout the state.

Remember that on Saturday, Clifford Paul, the state president of NULGE, issued a four-day ultimatum to Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, ordering him to order his men to leave the 23 LG councils that they are currently barricading. If he didn't comply, the union would mobilize its members for a protest.

Paul claimed in the statement that the police's actions had kept its members from working from home, where they support their families, resulting in lost man-hours.

In a similar vein, the State Chairmen of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Alex Agwanwor, and his counterpart from the Trade Union Congress, Ikechukwu Onyefuru, denounced the police's actions and supported the NULGE's ultimatum to the IGP, demanding that his men leave the council headquarters or face similar protests.

However, the beleaguered Rivers State ALGON Chairman, Allwell Ihunda, who is devoted to the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, charged that NULGE was picking sides in the state's political dispute.


At a press conference in Port Harcourt on Sunday, Ihunda made these remarks. She also criticized Governor Siminalayi Fubara for designating NULGE members who work as council employees to caretaker committees for the 23 LGAs, stating that this is improper unless the members quit from their positions.

 Ihunda claimed that this was the reason NULGE, the NLC, and the TUC were working together to organize the protest against the police on Monday. She cited the governor's appointment of the CTC members despite the court's request that all parties involved maintain the status quo.

"We are aware that, on June 19, the Rivers State Governor appointed caretaker committee members for the 23 local government areas of the State, despite the matter being pending in the Court of Appeal. The Appeal Court has made it very clear that all parties must maintain the status quo on all suits before the Court," he said.

Ihunda claimed that this was the reason NULGE, the NLC, and the TUC were working together to organize the protest against the police on Monday. She cited the governor's appointment of the CTC members despite the court's request that all parties involved maintain the status quo.

"We are aware that, on June 19, the Rivers State Governor appointed caretaker committee members for the 23 local government areas of the State, despite the matter being pending in the Court of Appeal. The Appeal Court has made it very clear that all parties must maintain the status quo on all suits before the Court," he said.

“Now from the list of caretaker committee members, we observe that across the 23 LGA appointments were made from NULGE members as part of the caretaker committees whereas these NULGE members are staff of the council. They were not supposed to be.

“That is the reason why we observed recently that NULGE has collaborated with the NLC and TUC to carry out a protest tomorrow 24th of June against the policemen that the Inspector General of Police has ordered to stay in the councils to maintain law and order to forestall further deaths that were experienced in Omuma LGA.”

Dr. Chidi Lloyd, the beleaguered chairman of the Emuoha Local Government Area, expressed regret that NULGE in the state had involved itself in a political issue.

According to publications by NULGE, which is led by a man named Clifford Paul, they have ventured dangerously into the political sphere, said Dr. Lloyd.

“These are supposed to be civil servants. But they (NULGE) have made nominations into the illegal caretaker committees who were sworn by Oko-Jumbo and two others.

“And they did not resign their appointments in according to the provisions of the Rivers State Local Government Law. First, for you to be a member of a local government caretaker committee you must resign whatever appointment you hold.

“We are not aware that any of them have resigned. They have taken the oath of office. So they cannot say they are calling for the police to vacate the premises of the various local governments because they want to go to work.

“These are people now who are dangerously aligned in the seeming dispute.  We can cause whatever violence that they want, but we will not do that because we cannot be seen to be maiming the same people that we are leading.”

He said that a similar situation had occurred in Zamfara without anyone throwing stones, citing the amendment to the local government law made by the Martin Amaewhule House of Assembly that extended the terms of office for LG chairmen. In his opinion, this is the proper course of action in the event that the government is unable to create an environment that is conducive to holding elections.

“The Assembly extended the tenure of the local government chairmen in Zamfara for six months. Our sister State here, Akwa Ibom has also done it. What we have here (Rivers) is a situation where the Governor is inept, and inexperienced and is now open to all kinds of advice, including from people who want to benefit from the system.

“So we are calling on the National President of NULGE to call his members in Rivers State to order. We are also calling local government councils staff to refrain from any protest that their greedy leaders want to drag them into.”

He continued, saying, "I understand that all of these unlawful Caretaker Committees that the Governor established have made a number of pronouncements, including dissolving the standing committees that we assigned.