Itsekiri staffs to shutdown DESOPADEC April 3

The headquarters of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC in Warri, Delta State, will be shutdown Tuesday April 3 over issues of incomplete and non-payment of February 2018 salary to some Itsekiri and Ijaw staffers of the commission, imirror can exclusively report.

The shutdown is imminent following plans by members of Association of Itsekiri Staff in DESOPADEC, AISID to down-tool and embark on protest over incomplete as well as unpaid salaries of over 60 Itsekiri Staffers of the commission deployed to Koko, Warri North Local Government Area office of the commission.

Though a member of AISID told Your Soaring International Tabloid that the member representing Itsekiri ethnic Nationality in the Board of DESOPADEC, Chief Thomas Ereyitomi has assured that the issue would be resolved by Friday March 30, AISID is determined to shutdown the commission’s operation from April 3 until issues such as 15% basic salary resettlement allowance and transport claims “for self, spouse and maximum of four children at N100.00 per kilometer” as enshrined in DESOPADEC condition of service is addressed.

According to a member of AISID, the decision by the commission to deny the affected staffers the full benefits of their February 2018 salary based on Clock-In, Clock-Out attendance would not hold water, until the commission meets its obligation to the affected staff, most of whom “were deployed from Jakpa, Ogheye, Gbokoda, Deghele, Abigborodo, Madangho, Bateren and adjourning riverine communities to Koko without getting their statutory transport and resettlement allowances”.

The source explained, “cost of transportation to and from Koko is a conservative N500 daily or N25, 000 per week or N100, 000 for four weeks. So if a staff is on SGL 4 on N50, 000 monthly, he or she will still need to look for N50, 000 for only transportation to Koko for Clock-In and out daily”.