Rivers ALGON Chair Urges Tinubu, NLC To Halt NULGE Members From Planned Protest

Chairman of Rivers State chapter of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Allwell Ihunda, has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of the Organised Labour to stop members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trades Union Congress (TUC) from orchestrating further damage to the state through another sponsored protest.

He also claimed that the State’s chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and the Organised Labour have been infiltrated by Governor Sim Fubara, who offered NLC and ALGON membership of local government caretaker committee appointments.

Ihunda made the disclosures while briefing journalists in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

He said, “The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) Rivers State Chapter has become aware of the orchestrated plans of the leadership and members of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Rivers State and its collaborators to destabilize the fragile peace prevailing in Rivers State on Monday the 24th day of June, 2024 by storming and attacking the Police Officers stationed at the various Council Secretariats in Rivers State under the guise of protesting against the presence of the Officers of the Nigerian Police securing the Council premises.

“This plan which was conceived, fertilized and hatched by the officials of NULGE in collaboration with the officials of the Rivers State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, GSSRS, is designed to over-awe the Nigerian Police and chase them away from securing the Council Secretariat so that the illegal Care-Taker Committees recently appointed and sworn in by the Governor of Rivers State to operate from “anywhere” can break into and take over the Council Secretariats and give themselves the cover of legitimacy using the Council Secretariats.

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“These individuals and those who are priming them to be used for the pursuit of this devious scheme do not seem to care about the well-being of the people of Rivers State and the imperative for the preservation of peace, law and order in Rivers State.

“NULGE has been infiltrated and compromised by the Governor of Rivers State and its officials and unsuspecting members are now being hoodwinked and drafted into fighting, under the guise of protest, as foot soldiers to promote the divisive partisan private interest of the Governor.

“Against this background, we want to use this medium to once again call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Federal Government of Nigeria to intervene by calling the Governor of Rivers State to order with a view to avoiding a breakdown of governance, law, and order in Rivers State.

“We call on national leadership of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and all well-meaning Labour and Trade Unions as well as Civil Society Groups to take proactive steps to prevail on the NULGE officials in Rivers State to jettison the planned protest and confrontation with the Nigerian Police which may plunge our dear Rivers State deeper into avoidable crisis and possible loss of lives.

“We call on the well-meaning members of NULGE in Rivers State to recognize the planned protest/demonstration as an orchestrated scheme to lure them into fighting for the promotion of the private agenda of some selfish individuals and politicians and to shun the planned protest/demonstration and patiently await the peaceful resolution of the legal issues involved in Local Government Administration in Rivers State which are already pending before courts of competent jurisdiction.

“No good will come from needless protests and confrontation with law enforcement agencies who themselves are patiently awaiting judicial determination of the issues involved.

“Let us all keep fate with the due process of the rule of law for in the fullness of time, sanity, normalcy and order shall be restored to the administration of Local Government.”