Workers’ Protest Paralysizes Olorunda Local Government

Dec 2nd, 2009 | By admin | Category: Tits Bits

POLITICAL thugs loyal to the Chairman, Olorunda Local Government Council Area of Osun State, Mr. Gani Ola-Oluwa took over the council secretariat on Wednesday, as they laid siege to the council workers, who were protesting the non-payment of their salaries and leave allowances by the council boss.

The health workers of the local government were reported not to have been paid their October, 2009 salaries, while none of the workers, it was learnt, is yet to receive November salary, and leave allowances as far back as March.

The civil servants, it was learnt from a reliable source within the secretariat, had on several occasions, met with the council boss, with a view to resolving the matter amicably and appealed to the council boss to pay the owed salaries and allowances, but all to no avail, a situation that formed part of the reasons for the protest by the council workers.

However, the workers had mobilized themselves within the council secretariat as early as 9:10am on Wednesday, after a meeting with the council boss by some senior civil servants, locked up the gate of the council, shouting ‘thief! thief!, and chanting solidarity songs.

Subsequently, a woman, who was said to be a political appointee in the council secretariat flared up and dared the protesting council workers to go to hell and do whatever they liked with the situation on ground, just as she started boasting and raining curses on them, but the workers however ignored her as they continued with their peaceful protest.

From nowhere, some hefty political thugs loyal to Ola-Oluwa numbering about ten, stormed the council secretariat in a violent manner and forcefully opened the entrance gate of the council that had been locked up by the protesting workers of the council.

The arrival of the thugs created tension within and outside the secretariat, as some of the protesting workers and passers-by quickly dialogued with their feet, while the brave ones among the workers waited to see what Ola-Oluwa’s thugs would do.

Sensing that the situation might get worse and some workers might be injured in the process, some leaders of the workers directed their colleagues to quickly march out of the council secretariat premises and move to Dugbe Police Station, with a view to avoiding being attacked by the thugs.

Subsequently, the workers march to the police station to report the incident and the Divisional Police Officer of Dugbe Police Station dispatched some security operatives to the council secretariat to restore peace.
While still at the police station, information reached the protesting workers that one of the protesters, who was still staying in the council had been attacked and beaten up by Ola-Oluwa’s hoodlums.
Addressing journalists at the police station, the chairman of the council’s chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Alhaji Hassan Olabisi said that several meetings had been held with the council boss, all to no avail, as Ola-Oluwa always told the workers that there was no money in the coffer of the local government council.

According to him, the chairman had made several promises to clear all the allowances and salary arrears, but fulfilled none of the promises, insisting that the council boss, rather than paying salaries and other allowances of the workers, had shifted his attention to frivolities.

He further stated that both salaries and allowances owed the council workers worth about N10 million, while political office holders were still receiving their salaries and allowances as and when due.
The NULGE boss then stated that from the police station, the workers would take their protests to the palace of Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi.

Meanwhile, OSUN DEFENDER investigation revealed that virtually all the political offices holders in the council area received minimum of N2.5 million each and were given rams and bags of rice among others for the recently-celebrated Ileya festival from the council coffers, while the council workers were unable to celebrate the festival to their satisfaction due to the non-payment of their salaries and allowances.
It was learnt that some of the bankers that used to grant loans to the council have refused to do so, as the council’s administration had on several occasions failed to repay such loans based on the terms agreed upon.

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