Dickson inaugurates new LG service commission, reads riot act

An eight-member Local Government Service Commission has been sworn in, with a charge, to among other duties, sanitize the administration of the third tier of government in the state.

The Governor who performed the ceremony in Government House, Yenagoa, stressed the need for the commission to tackle the issue of payroll fraud and instil discipline in the local government system.

According to him, no local government in the state is viable as a result of the activities of payroll fraudsters, which have made payment of salaries and other financial obligations difficult.

Dickson reiterated that the local government councils in the state enjoy financial autonomy from the inception of his administration.

He called on the commission to collaborate with the Caretaker Committee Chairmen and other stakeholders to address the challenges bedevilling local government administration.

Lamenting on the myriad of issues that have bogged down the operations of the councils, he said his administration has not approved any employment right from its inception in 2012 and wondered why their nominal rolls would be on the increase.

The Governor, therefore, directed the commission to take out those who are overdue for retirement, absentee workers, as well as those who have been illegally employed as the government loses over N1 billion to service ghost workers.

Chairman of the local Government Service Commission is Hon. Adolphus Ofongo, while other members are, Mr. James Agari, Amakiri Etebu, Mr. George Okiriyan, Mr. Freedom Josiah-Osain, Mr. Berry Negresse, Dr. Mary John and Mr. Uroh Kiani

Responding, Chairman of the Commission, Hon. Adolphus Ofongo expressed gratitude to Governor Dickson for the confidence reposed in them, assuring that they would carry out the task assigned to the commission with utmost diligence.