RE: BIOMETRIC VERIFICATION REDUCES RIVERS COUNCIL STAFF STRENGTH FROM 4000 TO 2000
Our attention has been drawn to an online news publication through a pseudo news blog, alleging that the ongoing biometric verification exercise in Emohua local government has reduced the staff strength of the local government council from 4000 to 2000.
Ordinarily, we would have ignored this fallacy but for the sake of the unsuspecting members of the public who may be misled by this propaganda, we wish to state categorically the following:
- That Emohua local government council never had up to 2000 workers since the creation of the local government area in 1991 in the first place.
- That the 4000 workers quoted by the propagators of the fake news can only be in the wildest imaginations of the enemies of the development of Emohua local government area, who are beclouded by their greed and selfish interest.
- While we understand the fact that the beneficiaries of the age long irregularities in the nominal roll of Emohua local government council and their collaborators who have been feeding fat from the common wealth of the local government area are not happy with the ongoing biometric verification exercise in the council and would go to any length to discredit exercise, we want to reassure the good people of Emohua local government area of our commitment to righting the wrongs in the council payroll through physical biometrics verification, to end the reign of ghost workers in the council, and set Emohua local government area on the path of development.
- The ongoing biometric verification exercise for staff of the council is not aimed at witch-hunting any person or group of persons. The exercise became necessary following the number of ghost workers in the payroll of the council, which must be addressed to enable the council deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Emohua local government area.
- The council chairman, Dr Chidi Lloyd who is supervising the ongoing biometric verification exercise himself, with the assistance of auditors from the Rivers State local government service commission has maintained that no amount of sponsored blackmail and insults on social media can distract him from doing what’s right, no matter whose ox is gored.
- The goal of Dr Chidi Lloyd’s administration is to reposition Emohua local government area and make it standout amongst other LGAs in Nigeria, and fighting the age long irregularities in the council financial system remains one of the bold steps towards realizing that goal.
- Interestingly, the local government council has made stunning discoveries in the council nominal roll within two days of the biometric verification exercise. Some of the discoveries include manipulated appointment and transfer letters, doctored conversion letters and fake certificates.
The council chairman has between Monday and Tuesday intercepted several falsified documents from persons who posed as staff of the council and has ordered for further investigation into their process of employment.
Dr Lloyd on Monday also ordered for the arrest and prosecution of a young man (name withheld) caught with a forged first school leaving certificate (FSLC), which was doctored for him at the age of 6 years, who later confessed to be one of those who have over the years been earning salaries from the council treasury from the comfort of their homes.
The young man who was immediately handed over to the police pleaded with the council chairman to grant him pardon and promised to expose other ghost workers in the council payroll who got into the council nominal roll through the same process with him.
- We understand that genuine staff of the council are impressed with the verification exercise which has also provided the opportunity for all verified council staff to be captured and issued the local government staff identity cards, and that is an encouragement to the determination of the administration of Dr Chidi Lloyd.
- The local government council under the watch of Dr Chidi Lloyd wish to reiterate that those who came into the council payroll through the backdoor, who have no credential to authenticate their employment with Emohua local government council will also be shown the way out the same way they came.
- We cannot fold our arms and allow a very greedy few to keep manipulating the common wealth of our dear local government area for their selfish gains, against the development of the area.
- At this point in the history of our dear local government area, all hands must be on deck to reposition Emohua LGA, to favourably compete with other local government areas in Nigeria in terms of development and that is the mission and vision of the administration of Dr Chidi Lloyd in Emohua local government area.
Signed.
Bright Jossy Elendu
Chief Press Secretary,
Emohua LGA.
8/12/2021
