From Chuks Onuoha, Umuahia
There is tension in Abia State over the recommendations of a committee set up to verify and fish out local government workers parading fake certificates and documents as well as those involved in double dealings.
Daily Sun learnt that the committee had finished its work and submitted its findings and recommendations to the chairman and members of the panel, who have vowed to implement them to the letter.
The chairman of the panel, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Ogbonna who received the report from the chairman of the committee, Chief Alwell Asiforo and other members of his committee, said the committee was set up to sanitise and strengthen the local government system for effective and efficient results.
He thanked Chief Asiforo and his committee for the good job they did and promised to implement the recommendations of the reports.
Chief Asiforo thanked the commissioner for finding the members worthy to carry out the assignment and stated that they were thorough in their investigation in line with the mandate given to them.
Daily Sun learnt that many local government staff on hearing about the fresh development, became apprehensive as some of them were said to be making frantic efforts to regularise their certificates and age records to escape the hammer of the government.
It was further learnt that many of them started reporting to duty, daily, to be in the good books of the government, while some others rushed to High Courts to swear fresh affidavits to support their age and academic records, even as court staff capitalised on the rush to lubricate their pockets in this period of economic recession.
A source at the office of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Umuahia, disclosed that the
commissioner was shocked at the rot he met in the local government system on assumption of duty, hence, he decided to set up the committee.
Our source disclosed that any staff with poor work record or qualifications should have reasons to be afraid, as according to her, “Charles Ogbonna means business and is a man of his words. Do you know him? , he was the chairman of the committee that oversaw the relocation of traders from old markets to new ones. He relocated the old Okigwe park in Umuahia.”
The commissioner, while briefing newsmen in his office last month, had revealed that many staff of local governments were in shady behaviours like being in possession of fake papers and drawing salaries from more than one office.
He gave the instance of a local government staff at Umuahia South council who works in Abia Specialist Hospital, Amachara as well as the local government council office.
The person in question draws salaries as a level 13 and 14 officer in the two offices respectively and is now on level 27 altogether.
