FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
Staff of the Edo State Unified Local Government Service has been assured of continouos training and retraining by the state government to enable them deliver quality service to the people at the grassroots.
Acting Chairman of the commission, Evangelist Francis Akhigbe gave the assurance while responding to an address by the State President of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Scott Aigbovia, during a courtesy visit to the commission.
Aigbovia stated that the visit was to invite members of the commission to the finals of NULGE Youth Unity Football Tournament holding at Idogbo, headquarters of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.
Akhigbe assured that “all seminars, trainings and workshops that are important and relevant to the discharge of the duties and functions of local governments will continue to be approved and sponsored by the Local Government Service Commission.”
While assuring NULGE that his doors were always open to members of the union, Akhigbe told them that the issue of salary arrears owed members of the union by some local government councils would be taken up with the management of the affected councils.
He also assured them that the commission would also find out if the backlog of arrears affect all categories of staff, pointing out that it is immoral not to pay the salaries of staff who had worked diligently for their councils.
“When I heard of the salary arrears, I called the officials of the affected local government councils and I asked them, how do people work and you will not pay them? It is immoral. I urged them to make arrangements on how to start setting aside some money to offset the arrears installmentally.
“Since it has been made officially known to the commission, it will write the chairmen of the councils to engage them on how to resolve the issues to avoid labour unrest,” Akhigbe assured.
On the issue of assistance to bereaved local government workers, the chairman assured that the commission would continue to assist them in burying their parents in accordance with laid-down extant criteria.
Earlier in his address, Comrade Aigbovia appealed to the commission to grace the finals of NULGE Youth Unity Football Tournament.
While congratulating Governor Monday Okpebholo on his Supreme Court victory, Aigbovia stated that the tournament is dedicated to the governor’s electoral feat, even as he called on the people to unite behind the governor to develop the state.
