Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, on Tuesday brokered peace between the Emohua Local Government Council Chairman, Chidi Lloyd, and workers under the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), leading to the suspension of a statewide strike.
The industrial action, which began Tuesday morning, had seen workers shut down all 23 local government secretariats in protest against the sack of some staff in Emohua Local Government Area.
Following a closed-door meeting at Government House, Port Harcourt, with NULGE leadership, the Local Government Service Commission, and the Emohua chairman, Governor Fubara directed the parties to resolve their differences amicably.
In a joint press briefing after the meeting, the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Israel Amadi, commended the governor for his timely intervention.
“His Excellency has given his mandate, and we want to thank him for intervening. We hope that everything we discussed and resolved will be implemented, as we also appreciate NULGE for their cooperation,” Amadi said.
Chidi Lloyd, the Emohua chairman, assured that the council would implement the governor’s directives in collaboration with the commission. He thanked NULGE leaders for appealing to workers to end the strike, stressing that the matter was “nothing personal” but aimed at ensuring transparency in the system.
President of NULGE in Rivers State, Clifford Paul, confirmed the suspension of the strike and directed all members to resume duties immediately.
“On behalf of the State Council of NULGE, I enjoin all our members to resume work. All branch chairmen and state officers are hereby directed to call off the strike,” Paul said.
He noted that Governor Fubara’s intervention prevented the dispute from escalating into a prolonged crisis between the council and union members.
