Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has expressed concerns about the work ethic and dedication of local government workers in Nigeria.
Fayose, who held office from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2014 to 2018, noted that local government councils face challenges, including the presence of inactive or unproductive employees. He suggested that some individuals may be more focused on personal gain than serving the public interest.
According to Fayose, the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) enables certain irregularities in local government councils nationwide.
He alleged that if a governor attempts to address these issues, the union would respond by threatening to withhold their support in future elections.
He said, “Go to the council on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, you will not find 10 per cent of the staff of the local government in the office. They don’t come.
“My name is Ayo Fayose and I want them to dispute this. They don’t come to work. When you make moves to bring them to book, both NULGE and all leaders of the local government will go and beg the governor.
“They will be telling you, we will not vote for you. This is the way we operate at the local government. The state is more effective in administrative performance than the local government.”
“At the local government, everybody comes to collect money. Even people have left some states. They live somewhere else and money just hits their accounts,” he added.
SaharaReporters had reported how concerned Nigerians praised the recent Supreme Court judgement which upheld the local governments’ right to receive monthly allocations directly from the federation account.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also described the judgement as a restoration of hope in the country’s democracy,
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero said that the apex court’s verdict was “both courageous and salubrious” and recalled the “tortuous” journey to the local governments’ freedom.
He said, “It’s an epochal pronouncement on Thursday, July 11, 2024, directing that financial allocations be made directly to local governments as well as divesting state governments of the power to remove local government executives is both courageous and salubrious.”
On the LG autonomy, Fayose said’,’ You cannot take the baby from the mother. There is nobody that will become council chairman without the governor. Anybody telling you otherwise is wasting his time.”#SundayPolitics pic.twitter.com/fsGLstsmip
— Channels Television (@channelstv) July 14, 2024
