Port Harcourt, Rivers State — Governor Siminalayi Fubara has decisively intervened in the escalating labor dispute at the Emohua Local Government Area (LGA), issuing a direct order for a fresh, comprehensive biometric verification exercise for all council workers. This directive immediately compelled the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) to call off its planned seven-day warning strike.
The Governor’s action, taken after summoning the LGA Chairman, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, and the NULGE leadership, is designed to objectively clean the council’s payroll and resolve conflicting claims over the status of more than 300 affected staff.
The Source of the Payroll Crisis
The dispute ignited when over 300 LGA workers, previously reinstated by the Governor Fubara-led administration, had their salaries abruptly stopped by Dr. Lloyd.
State NULGE Chairman, Comrade Christopher Paul, galvanized the union into action, declaring a warning strike and arguing that the affected members had been receiving regular salaries for months. “These workers had been receiving salaries for several months since the Governor of Rivers State graciously recalled them back,” Paul stated, questioning why the new LGA administration would deny their payments. He warned of an indefinite strike if the issue persisted.
However, Dr. Lloyd, the Emohua LGA Chairman, dismissed the protests as blackmail, claiming that all legitimate staff were paid. He insisted that the union was protesting on behalf of individuals whose names were “smuggled” onto the payroll, implying financial irregularities that required immediate rectification.
Governor’s Order: A Definitive Audit
Faced with these sharply conflicting reports, one side alleging victimization and the other claiming fraud, Governor Fubara bypassed the standoff by imposing a rigorous, data-driven solution.
The Governor’s explicit instruction to the LGA Chairman, the Local Government Service Commission, and NULGE was to collaborate on a renewed biometric verification. This comprehensive audit will serve as the final arbiter, using technology to verify the true identity and employment status of every civil servant in Emohua LGA.
Crucially, Governor Fubara directed NULGE leadership to immediately suspend the proposed strike, making the biometric process the mandated pathway to resolution. This action ensures stability and promises a definitive clean-up of the payroll, ensuring that only genuine employees, whether reinstated or long-serving, receive their rightful emoluments. The state awaits the results of the verification to finally close the chapter on the Emohua LGA salary crisis.
