The President of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Imo State chapter, Charles Okere, has expressed concern over the lack of serious preparations by political parties for the upcoming September 21 council polls. Speaking to journalists in Ngor Okpala, Okere highlighted that political parties have yet to demonstrate their readiness for the elections.
Okere urged political parties in the state to actively participate in the forthcoming council polls to provide credible alternatives and ensure a competitive electoral process. He emphasized the importance of political engagement in making the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) accountable and committed to conducting transparent elections.
“Most political parties may feel they don’t stand a chance, but I think they should conduct political campaigns and field candidates,” Okere stated. “This way, they will make ISIEC sit up and conduct credible polls because if they fail, we will apportion blame.”
As the vice chairman of the state chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Okere expressed concern over the decline of the local government system despite the presence of highly qualified individuals. He attributed the deterioration to the lack of local government autonomy and called for reforms to empower local councils.
“We are fully in support of President Bola Tinubu on local government autonomy because it will allow communities to choose priority projects that address their specific needs,” Okere explained. “Local government autonomy will also tackle the issue of insecurity by enabling local solutions and addressing the joint account system with state governments.”
Okere criticized the practice of dissolving elected local government representatives by state governors, describing it as a major factor contributing to the decline of councils across the country. He argued that granting autonomy to local governments would prevent such arbitrary actions and improve governance at the grassroots level.
In addition, Okere commended Governor Hope Uzodimma for his responsiveness to the association’s concerns, particularly regarding the payment of salaries to civil servants. He highlighted the intervention that led to the resolution of salary payment issues and the dissolution of the local government service commission as positive steps taken by the governor.
“Some local government staff have not been paid salaries to date. I met Governor Uzodimma, who showed us a report from a panel claiming that these people were irregularly employed. However, we explained that someone who has received salaries for almost 20 years cannot be irregularly employed,” Okere said. “We at NULGE conducted our own verification exercise and found discrepancies in the committee’s report. We have helped the government identify ghost workers and retirees, ensuring accurate data.”
Okere also discussed ongoing challenges, such as resolving the issue of unpaid salaries and completing a two-story building project initiated by a past administration to generate income for the association. He assured that NULGE remains committed to championing the improvement of the local government system and the welfare of its staff.
“Our challenge now is how to resolve the issue of people whose salaries have been stopped and how to complete the two-story building for income generation,” Okere concluded. “But I assure you that we will continue to advocate for the enhancement of the local government system and the well-being of our members.”
