Posted by By John Iwori on
Former councillors in Bayelsa State are being owed N525 million by their respective councils in the state.
Former councillors in Bayelsa State are being owed N525 million by their respective councils in the state.
The money represents their salaries, allowances and other entitlements which were not paid before the expiration of their tenure nearly three years ago.
The legislators were from the105 wards in the eight Federal Government recognized local government areas in the state.
Chairman, Bayelsa Ex-Councillors Forum, Hon. Bolodiseye Ndiwari, who disclosed this in a chat with THISDAY, said all efforts to get the money failed because the council chairmen could not live up to their word.
Ndiwari who was the pioneer Chairman, Okordia/Zarama/Biseni Local Government Area decried what he called the "unnecessary bottlenecks deliberately put in place" by the chairmen of the and Local Government Area in the state.
His words: "the state deputy governor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan whose office supervises the Local Government Areas has directed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to deduct our salaries at source but up till now, nothing has been done. "We wonder the delay in paying this money because other less endowed states have already paid their ex-councilors. The absence of the governor has not helped matters. Several months after we booked an appointment to meet him and resolve this matter has not seen the light of the day. That is why we have taken a decision to go to court and reek redress.
"Our patience have run out We can't continue to wait endlessly for our entitlements. Most of our members could no longer meet up with their obligation", he said.
Some have died in the process of waiting. A case in point was, our colleague in Sagbama local government area who died in April, 2005. He was sick. There was no money for him to seek adequate medical treatment in the hospital. That is why we are crying out now before 'it is too late".