Emohua local government chairman, Hon Chidi Lloyd says his administration is only righting the wrongs in the local government wage bill and not witch-hunting any person or group of persons, stating that no amount of blackmail can stop him from putting a stop to the irregularities in the nominal roll of the local government.
Dr Lloyd made the assertion on a live radio interview with Nigeria Info 92.3 FM PortHarcourt on Thursday.
Responding to questions from the radio presenter and contributors on the reported protest for alleged non payment of salary by staff of Emohua local government, the council chairman said he has no power to shortpay or withhold the salary of any genuine worker but insisted that his administration will not pay salaries to ghost workers.
Hon Lloyd reassured that every genuine staff of the local government who have not received their salary will definitely do so as they get cleared through the ongoing verification of the nominal roll of the council staff, emphasizing that those already cleared have been paid two months salary weeks ago whilst the verification and payment continues simultaneously.
He enjoined all genuine staff of the local government to join hands with his administration to end the irregularities in the system which has kept the local government backward in terms of development.
Dr Lloyd however insisted that those who came into the council payroll through the backdoor will be shown the way out, reassuring that the days when people in grade level 4 corruptly received salaries of grade level 12 in the local government without proper conversion was over.
On the resurgence of insecurity in Omudioga community which reportedly claimed the life of the erstwhile commander of the disbanded OSPAC vigilante in the community, Dr Lloyd said the disbandment of OSPAC vigilante groups across Emohua local government area predates his emergence as local government chairman but was reiterated by his administration.
The council chairman said those killing themselves are people who have refused to respect the disbandment and are hiding under the quise of community vigilante to perpetuate all manner of crimes, emphasizing that some members of the disbanded OSPAC are fighting for territorial supremacy with rival groups.
Dr Lloyd assured that normalcy has returned to the troubled community with the help of security agencies and urged residents of the area to assist the local government and security agencies with relevant information on the activities of criminals in the area.
The council chairman further disclosed that the profiling of candidates for the proposed Emohua Local Government Vigilante Services is being handled by the security agencies, emphasizing that the local government vigilante service which will also admit some of the good heads from the disbanded OSPAC vigilante group will take off immediately the profiling is concluded.
Bright Jossy Elendu
Chief Press Secretary,
Emohua LGA.