Major Shake-Up Looms In Abia LGAs

All Heads of  Services (HOS), treasurers and some heads of  Departments in Abia Local Government system are in for major shake-up, investigation reveals.

It will be recalled that Abia had ordered a biometric verification of workers at the local governments to identify the exact workforce at that tier of government.

The process was allegedly stalled by the heads of service and their treasurers who allegedly mobilised the council staff to destroy the biometric machines.

As a result, Governor Theodore Orji on Friday October 4 summoned the HOS of the 17 local government areas.

“You are part and parcel of the problem we have in the local government system.

“We decided to clean up the system to detect ghost workers, but you fought the people we brought and destroyed their biometric machines,” he had said

Orji also said that the State House of Assembly had already intervened in the matter, stressing that the state government would implement whatever recommendation made by the legislators on the matter.

“If they recommend for your redeployment or sack, I will do that and even add my own.

“I cannot sit down here and keep quite when this is happening at the local government system,” Orji had said.

An authoritative source told newsmen that all the HOS, Treasurers and some HODs had already been told to quit their positions.

“After the meeting with the HOS, they summoned us and told us that we should prepare to relinquish our positions to those following us on grade level.

“We are expecting our letters of disengagement on Wednesday as they have told us and this affects all HOS, Treasurers and some HODs,” the source said.

The source said the state government was being economical with the truth to say that the affected persons had been a clog in the wheel of progress of the local government system.

“The government is not sincere in its dealings with the local government system, because local government areas in the state are underfunded,” the source said.

The source attributed the collapse of the local government system in the state to the activities of the state government.

The source frowned at government insistence of running the system with Transitional Committee Chairman for over two years, whom, he described, as mere foot-soldiers.

The source said that the local administration in Abia was at the mercy of the state government, adding that in most cases stipends given them by the state government are not enough to pay salaries.