Crisis is rocking the Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, following allegations that the Chairman, Mr. Michael Ogbolosigha, has yet to pay workers their salaries.
Our correspondent gathered that Ogbolosigha had not been able to pay the December salaries while workers in other councils in the state were said to have received theirs before the Yuletide.
Some of the workers, who spoke to our correspondent in Yenagoa, decried the development and said they had bleak Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The workers, said while Ogbolosigha and his family enjoyed the Yuletide, they found it difficult to fulfill their financial obligations.
The workers, who pleaded anonymity for fear of victimisation, accused the council boss of spending huge sums of money on hampers, cows and goats to settle his political associates.
One of them said, “He abandoned us despite buying many goats, cows, bags of rice and other gifts for his political associates and godfathers. The council headquarters was used as a venue for distributing these items. None of the gifts got to us.
“This is the second time he is finding it very difficult to pay workers’ salaries.He paid the November salaries very late. But we were mostly affected by his delay to pay the December salaries. We had a very bad holiday.”
Denying the allegation, Ogbolosigha said more than half of the workers had been paid, adding that banks were responsible for others that had yet to receive their salaries.
He said, “I have never had problems paying salaries and allowances. They are just trying to damage my reputation. It is a problem with the banks and we are sorting it out.”