Sack Director, Sports Council Staff Tell Rivers Gov

Staff of the Rivers State Sports Council, yesterday, protested and called for the immediate sack of their director, Hon. Daobu Harvest Harry. The workers, under the aegis of the Amalgamated Union of Public Trainee Recreation Employees (AUPTRE), carried for the removal in office of the director from office, locking the Director’s Administrative office in the process. The protest, which was carried out indoors in the main hall of the Afred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex, pasted placards on the walls of the hall, containing such statements as “Dr H. Harry, your plans to destroy lives have been exposed,” and “Governor (Rotimi) Amaechi, Save Our South, Harry Must Go.” The chairman of AUPTRE, Mr Daniel Gogo told Tidesports that there is the need for a change in the council, saying that there are proofs for the allegations against the director. Some of Hon. Harries alleged misdemeanor are the lack of management/worker relationship with council, and indiscriminate reduction of allowances during festivals and other sporting activities. “In Abuja 2004,” Gogo explained, N5,000 was deducted from the allowances of officials to cater for central feeding, even when government had made provision for it. “at Gateway 2006 and KADA 2009, N7,500 was also deducted from each official’s allowance,” he continued. It is also alleged that the Director not only short-paid officials/athletes at KADA 2009, but also included ghost names in the council’s award list and salary payment vouchers. Meanwhile, the AUPTRE chairman said, the protest will continue today after the scheduled promotion interview of staff. He stated that but for the body’s inability to secure police permit and the intervention of the ministry of sports, the protest would have been extended to Government House. When Tideports called Hon. Harry on telephone over the matter, he declined to say anything pending the outcome of a panel set up for the purpose. “I will not say anything till the end of the panel’s findings,” he said. On his part, the public Relations Officer of the council, Mr Barisi Wifa, told Tideports that he had “not been briefed on the matter”, saying that “the case is beyond my jurisdiction.”