by Gabriel Enogholase

BENIN—WORKERS of Egor Local Government Area in Edo State have given a three-day ultimatum to the council chairman, Mr. Victor Enobakhare, to pay their  five months salary arrears or face the consequences.

The staff, who were at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, to protest their unpaid salaries and later to Government House in Benin City,  accused the council chairman and treasurer of being insensitive to their plight.

Spokesperson for the workers, Abdul Giwa-Osagie, decried what he described as the nonchalant attitude of the council boss to their welfare.

“We have not heard anywhere that monthly allocation was not received in our council, yet we have not been paid since December.  When the allocation comes, they deduct teachers’ salary and pay them, we don’t know why ours is different.

“A few weeks ago, the governor suspended a council chairman over non-payment of salaries. We are asking the governor to also suspend Egor chairman for the same reason,” he said.

Reacting to the development, the vice chairman of the council’s NULGE, Mrs. Osana Issac, disowned the protesting workers, saying, “they are not staff of the council.”

Mrs. Isaac, however, admitted that the council was owing workers five months salary, but attributed the development to shortfall in the Federal Allocation to the council.

She said that the council had begun negotiations to pay staff arrears.