Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The salaries of some employees of the Ogbia Local Government Council of Bayelsa State under the Chairmanship of Mr Ebinyon Turner have been suspended by the state government.
The reason for the action was because the affected workers were absent from work when the Deputy Governor, Mr Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, paid an unscheduled visit to the council secretariat in Ogbia Town, headquarters of the Ogbia Local Government Area.
The Deputy Governor, during the visit on Thursday, November 19, 2020, expressed his displeasure over the situation, emphasising that the state government was against absenteeism and will not tolerate this.
Business Post gathered that a total of 23 members of staff of the local government were not at work when Mr Ewhrudjakpo was at the council secretariat.
He, thereafter, directed that the salaries of the workers suspended. He also directed all relevant authorities to ensure that salaries of other staff should be suspended till further notice.
The Deputy Governor stated that he will pay more of such visits not only to assess the performance of the council chairmen and their staff but also ensure that people at the grassroots feel the impact of government.
According to him, this is to ensure the third level of government in the state delivers the dividend of democracy and quality service delivery to the people.
Mr Ewhrudjakpo further said during the future visits, more disciplinary actions would be dished out to enforce discipline in the public service, stressing that the era where workers abandon their offices but draw salaries at the end of the month was over.
While warning workers to resist the temptation of abandoning their offices, the Deputy Governor reaffirmed the present administration’s commitment to repositioning the local government system, which is under his supervision.
Ogbia Local Government Council has an area of 695 km2 and a population of 179,926. The council is historic because it encompasses Oloibiri, the first place oil was discovered in Nigeria on Sunday, January 15, 1956.
