Tension heightened in Mgboko, the headquarters of Obingwa Local Government Area on Tuesday as workers gathered to protest the alleged secret withdrawal of funds from the council’s bank account by the Transition Committee chairman, Hon. Eze Walton and the Head of Administration, Mr. Ben Nwogu.
The workers who have not received their salaries for three months now over a garnishee order obtained by one Barr. C. C Elele who did some legal services for the council, threatened to burn down the secretariat at the development.
Pointblanknews.com sources hinted that the two council officials have at different dates since the court order was obtained over the account, withdrawn about N17million Naira which was part of the salary fund trapped in the council’s account at the Ogbor Hill, Aba branch of First bank.
According to the source at the bank who pleaded anonymity, “They came on the first day and withdrew N1.3million and later wrote a cheque with the name of a staff council for N20, 000. Another day,they came and took N4million and the following two days; N10million. I’m sure they have withdrawn up to 17million. I learnt the workers have been alerted, may be that is why they have stopped.”
A cross section of workers who spoke to our correspondent lamented the activities of the two council officials, particularly the Head of Administration whom they accused of being the problem of the council.
“We don’t know why the Head of Administration, Mr. Ben Nwogu has not been sacked. He is the person spoiling the name of Gov. Theodore Orji. Most times, he will tell us that the governor has not released fund for salary, but when you make inquiries, you will discover that salaries has since been released. Even at that time, they will continue to hold the salary.
“We have suffered enough; coming to work everybody, logging in and out on empty stomach. We are appealing to the governor to look into the problems of Obingwa local government. We care dying. If Ben Nwogu has not removed the council’s Legal Officer, Barr. Okata and replaced him with a staff who knows nothing about Law, over union politics;I think the council would have settled the problem with the lawyer and workers paid.”
Others alleged that the problem arose over the inability of the TC Chairman and Mr. Ben Nwogu to negotiate with Barr. Elele. They were said to have offered the fiery lawyer a paltry N500, 000 out of the N19million owed him which he flatly rejected.
A council official told our correspondent that the state government has intervened in the matter but this could not be confirmed.
When contacted, Barr. Elele refused to speak on the development as the matter is still in court. However, a source close to him hinted that he has no intention to punish the council workers, but wants to be paid for his services.
The source added that the two officials were out to make money from the situation as they have rebuffed every attempt to have an amicable settlement with the legal practitioner.
In the meantime, Hon. Walton and Mr. Nwogu have continued to shun their duty post at the council secretariat as the workers have become restive threatening to beat up any of them. Several calls made to their cell phone were left unanswered as at press time.