The stage seems set for a showdown between the 23 Local Government Councils in Rivers State and the State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) on the one hand and the State chapter of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria over the embezzlement of about N4 million belonging to health workers in Rivers State.
Reports reaching enigmareports reveal that due to perceived marginalization and lack of adequate representation of their interests in NULGE, health workers in the country under the aegis of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) sought leave of the Nigeria Industrial Arbitration Court (NIC) to unionize health workers in the 774 local government councils in Nigeria and be independent of NULGE.
The Industrial Court granted this leave through its verdict in the suit No. NIC/19/95. NULGE would have none of that and challenged the verdict but the court reaffirmed its stand on the issue in suit No. NIC/9/2001. The matter later went to the Supreme Court where the apex court upheld the decision of the industrial court and also ruled that community health practitioners under the aegis of the Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria be part of the MHWUN in suit No. SC/210/2005.
During this time the check-off dues deducted at source from the salaries of health workers by the local government councils and paid into the coffers of NULGE was ordered to be held in a suspense account pending the determination of the various litigations on the issue.
On the strength of the Supreme Court verdict the Rivers State chapter of the Medical and Health Workers Union requested the retirement of the check-off dues including the arrears into the union’s accounts but was rebuffed. The arrears so far amount to N332,131,345.00 being check-off dues for the period between June 2001 and December 2008 for the 23 local government councils and N25,548,565.00 for the period between January and July 2009 bringing the total sum to N357,679,910.00.
Consequent upon this the health workers sought the intervention of the State Government in the matter.
A reliable source, who prefers anonymity, said the Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, through the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ken Chikere, upon the advice of the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Ephraim Owoh-Etete, directed the council chairmen to abide by and implement the decision of the apex court and release the accrued check-off dues to the health workers union in their respective councils.
Contrary to expectations that this directive would have been complied with and the issue long concluded, the health workers’ union was yet to see the check-off dues instantly raising questions as to why the said monies have allegedly not been released.
In a reaction to this development, the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Ephraim Owoh-Etete, in a letter dated 8th April, 2009 and signed on his behalf by one Barr. R.R. West, directed the council chairmen, through their heads of local government administration, to “implement the decision of the (Supreme) Court and (the) directive of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State,” warning that “you will be personally held responsible for failure to implement the directive of His Excellency.”
Furthermore, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon. Magnus Abe, through a letter signed on his behalf by one Sir Joe Akpa and dated 17th July, 2009, advised all parties in the issue to “please abide by the advice of the Hon. Attorney General in order to maintain and ensure peace and industrial harmony…across the State.”
Worried by this recalcitrant attitude of the council chairmen and NULGE on the issue, some aggrieved health workers have threatened to drag the State branches of the Association of Chairmen of Local Governments in Nigeria (ALGON), and NULGE to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, saying “this is a case of barefaced fraud involving funds belonging to us.”
Reports reaching enigmareports reveal that due to perceived marginalization and lack of adequate representation of their interests in NULGE, health workers in the country under the aegis of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) sought leave of the Nigeria Industrial Arbitration Court (NIC) to unionize health workers in the 774 local government councils in Nigeria and be independent of NULGE.
The Industrial Court granted this leave through its verdict in the suit No. NIC/19/95. NULGE would have none of that and challenged the verdict but the court reaffirmed its stand on the issue in suit No. NIC/9/2001. The matter later went to the Supreme Court where the apex court upheld the decision of the industrial court and also ruled that community health practitioners under the aegis of the Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria be part of the MHWUN in suit No. SC/210/2005.
During this time the check-off dues deducted at source from the salaries of health workers by the local government councils and paid into the coffers of NULGE was ordered to be held in a suspense account pending the determination of the various litigations on the issue.
On the strength of the Supreme Court verdict the Rivers State chapter of the Medical and Health Workers Union requested the retirement of the check-off dues including the arrears into the union’s accounts but was rebuffed. The arrears so far amount to N332,131,345.00 being check-off dues for the period between June 2001 and December 2008 for the 23 local government councils and N25,548,565.00 for the period between January and July 2009 bringing the total sum to N357,679,910.00.
Consequent upon this the health workers sought the intervention of the State Government in the matter.
A reliable source, who prefers anonymity, said the Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, through the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ken Chikere, upon the advice of the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Ephraim Owoh-Etete, directed the council chairmen to abide by and implement the decision of the apex court and release the accrued check-off dues to the health workers union in their respective councils.
Contrary to expectations that this directive would have been complied with and the issue long concluded, the health workers’ union was yet to see the check-off dues instantly raising questions as to why the said monies have allegedly not been released.
In a reaction to this development, the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Ephraim Owoh-Etete, in a letter dated 8th April, 2009 and signed on his behalf by one Barr. R.R. West, directed the council chairmen, through their heads of local government administration, to “implement the decision of the (Supreme) Court and (the) directive of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State,” warning that “you will be personally held responsible for failure to implement the directive of His Excellency.”
Furthermore, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon. Magnus Abe, through a letter signed on his behalf by one Sir Joe Akpa and dated 17th July, 2009, advised all parties in the issue to “please abide by the advice of the Hon. Attorney General in order to maintain and ensure peace and industrial harmony…across the State.”
Worried by this recalcitrant attitude of the council chairmen and NULGE on the issue, some aggrieved health workers have threatened to drag the State branches of the Association of Chairmen of Local Governments in Nigeria (ALGON), and NULGE to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, saying “this is a case of barefaced fraud involving funds belonging to us.”
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