The Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Ebonyi State Chapter, Chinedu Uburu, yesterday, revealed that workers who died since 2009 are still receiving salaries in the local council system.

Uburu made the revelation in his office in Abakaliki when the state Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) executives, led by its Chairman, Samson Nwafor, paid him a courtesy call, noting that this anomaly was discovered during the ongoing verification exercise. He pleaded with workers to be patient.

Uburu noted that council staff members who have not been paid should be calm, saying the verification exercise will soon be over. He noted there’s no local council chairman in Ebonyi that is doing a project of less than N500 million, promising that before the end of the month, he will take journalists out for project inspection.

“The verification exercise was not targeted at anyone, and workers don’t even know that the council chairmen are trying to help them. Last year, the President signed the minimum wage into law, and if we are to pay, with the current number of staff, we can’t even pay salaries.”

Uburu, who is also the Chairman of Ebonyi Local Council, commended the leadership of the NUJ for ensuring professionalism in journalism practice in the state.

He maintained that the best way to showcase one’s work is through the media, believing that with the help of the NUJ, they will be able to give the right information about Ebonyi State to the world.

Earlier in his address, Nwafor said that the union is in his office to align with the state chapter of ALGON towards sustaining development and healthy partnership between journalists and the government in the state.

He noted that the media is to serve the interest of the masses, noting that it is necessary that adequate information is made available to journalists to enhance their job of enlightenment with the right message.