Rivers: Local Govt Service Commission Refutes Awareness Of Ghost Workers

In a recent press briefing, Pastor GoodLife Ben, chairman of Rivers State Local Government Service Commission, refuted claims of any local government council uncovering ghost workers within the state.
Addressing reporters in his office, Pastor Ben emphasized that only the commission holds the statutory authority to dismiss and discipline local government employees for misconduct. He stated that the commission has not received any communication from any local government area regarding the discovery of ghost workers.
Emohua Local Government Area has been in the news over non-payment of staff dubbed ‘ghost workers’ and attempts to deny confirmed staff opportunity for promotion assessment by the Local Government Service Commission.
Pastor GoodLife Ben affirmed that all local government councils in the state have promptly complied with the N30,000 minimum wage directive issued by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, for the month of February.
Additionally, he announced that promotion exercises for both senior and junior staff members across the various councils are currently underway.
This declaration from the chairman of the Local Government Service Commission sheds light on the ongoing efforts to maintain transparency and accountability within the local government workforce in Rivers State.
Civil Society Organisations leaders and officials of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Rivers State, have been trained on how to access the Green Climate Fund by officials of the National Council on Climate Change, NCCC who came in from Abuja.
The three-day event took place in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.
In her presentation, on the Overview of the Green Climate Fund: Modalities for Accessing the Fund, Benedita Ejiefor, one of the resource persons, explained that the Green Climate Fund was developed to provide support to developing countries to help them adapt to the impact of climate change.
She said the National Designated Authority (NDA), is the government authorized institution supervising the funding process of each country.
She tasked both CSOs and government agencies to take advantage of the Green Climate Fund by applying for fund to carry out projects that will mitigate climate change through emission reduction.
Ejiofor stated that under the GCF Nigeria has recorded approval for over 16 projects in-country. She pointed out that some of the challenges responsible for low access to the Green Climate Fund include poor project concept, lack of capacity among proponents and complex application procedures for which she recommended high level collaboration of experts within the civil society, academia and government circles for easier scaling of the stringent conditions for approval.
In her presentation, Amudi Chioma stated that mitigation and adaptation must be cross-cutting for economic and social transformation with low carbon emissions. She stressed that community based knowledge, culture and values must accommodate best practices to reduce emissions.
Amudi stressed the need for implementation of climate change policies to bridge the gap between the people and government policies and, charged citizens to hold their leaders accountable when policies, concepts and programmes are not implemented or properly implemented.
Another resource person, Ayodeji Falemu called on the Nigerian government to be more serious on climate change issues as communities are still suffering from climate change impacts like flooding, rising sea surges from pollution from gas flares, and degraded environments.
Falemu called for a less cumbersome process for accessing the green climate fund.
The NCCC officials urged both government and civil society to work in synergy to qualify for the fund which can help significantly address the climate challenges in the region.
Earlier, the executive director of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, Dr. Emem Okon who, hosted the interactive sessions to bring home the green climate fund message to the Niger Delta, stated that the training was an outcome of the organisation’s learning, linking and exchange programme which was supported by Global Alliance for Gender and Green Action ( GAGGA).
Dr. Okon said Kebetkache invited the National Council on Climate Change to train both government officials and members of the civil society on how to access Green Climate Fund to reduce the heavy negative impact of climate change in the region.
She expressed optimism that the training will engender deeper understanding of the fund process and possibilities for access from the region.
She added that Kebetkache has been in the forefront of campaigns for climate finance for local communities, expressing hope that a door of opportunity will widen from the engagement.
– Story by Pius Dukor