The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Rivers State has declared a seven-day warning strike over allegations that more than 500 workers in Emuoha Local Government Area have been denied their salaries.
Last week, the affected workers staged a protest at the Emuoha council secretariat, accusing the council chairman, Dr. Chidi Lloyd, of illegally removing their names from the payroll and sacking them without due process. They vowed to continue protesting until their salaries are restored.
The state leadership of NULGE later waded into the matter and, on Monday, announced the strike action. In a statement signed by the Rivers State NULGE President, Sunday Adeniran, the union said all local government workers across the 23 LGAs should withdraw their services starting from Tuesday.
“This action has become necessary due to the callous and unfair decision of the Emuoha council chairman to deny our members their salaries,” the statement read. “We expect full compliance and solidarity from all council workers across the state.”
However, Dr. Lloyd has dismissed the allegations, saying every legitimate staff member of the council has been paid. He accused NULGE of blackmail, claiming the dispute was about “ghost workers” whose names were illegally added to the payroll.
“In 2024, the council staff strength was about 1,000. Suddenly it rose to 1,600, yet no fresh employment was carried out,” Lloyd argued.
The strike, which is expected to last one week, has sparked tension across the state as both sides remain firm on their positions.
