Local government workers in Anambra State, under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), on Wednesday staged a protest at the Anambra State Government House over the alleged diversion of their check-off dues into a private account.

The aggrieved workers also expressed concerns over the non-recruitment of fresh staff into the local government system for more than two decades, warning that the service risked extinction if urgent measures were not taken.

According to Daily Post, before embarking on the protest, the union held an enlarged State Executive Council (SEC) meeting with representatives from the 21 local government areas and observers from the NULGE national secretariat. A communiqué issued at the meeting decried attempts by some individuals within the union to instigate crisis and destabilize the system.

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The communiqué, along with placards, was presented at the Government House to Mrs. Joy Soba, who received the protesters on behalf of Governor Charles Soludo.

Speaking during the protest, the state chairman of NULGE, Comrade Eucharia Ughanwunne, and the state secretary, Comrade Barr. Ike Abugu, lamented the prolonged neglect of the local government service.

According to them, “There is threat of extinction of local government service in Anambra State. The last employment into the local government service of Anambra State was in 2001. While members are leaving through death and retirement, there has been no replacement efforts, making the service vulnerable to imminent extinction.”

The union leaders further alleged the unlawful diversion of four months’ statutory NULGE check-off dues by the office of the Accountant General for local government, describing the development as a breach of due process.

“We are also here to protest the unlawful diversion of four months NULGE statutory check-off dues by the office of Accountant General for local government. That position is reserved for a career officer, imposition of a non-career officer is not only inimical to the service, but a recipe for career retrogression and unproductivity,” the communiqué added.

In their list of grievances, the workers condemned the monetization of promotion, compulsory acquisition of OND qualifications from Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), the dismissal of over 100 staff members on alleged certificate forgery, and the compulsory induction of members into the Institute of Chartered Local Government and Public Administration of Nigeria. They also faulted the retention of certain Heads of Departments (HODs) who have remained in the same position for more than eight years.

The workers, while affirming their support for Governor Soludo’s re-election bid due to what they described as his “sterling performance,” accused some political appointees of undermining his administration by instigating unrest within the union.

They appealed to the governor to urgently direct the recruitment of new workers into the Local Government Service Commission to avert a collapse of the system. They also demanded the immediate release of their withheld check-off dues and the reinstatement of staff they described as illegally dismissed.