Delta Assembly Summons DESOPADEC Chairman, MD, Others Over Unabated Workers Union’s Protest

The Delta state House of Assembly has summoned the chairman of DESOPEDEC board, Godwin Ebosa, the Managing Director, Olorogun William Makinde and other management team of the commission over the unending crisis rocking the establishment.

BigPen Online learnt that the House summoned the management of the commission in a letter conveyed to them on Tuesday.

The workers union which has since split into two factions was also summoned to meet with the House Committee led by Hon Daniel Mayuku.

Meanwhile, the two weeks industrial action and protest against the management of the commission over the non payment of allowances and other entitlements of workers have been called off.

It was learnt that the workers union became divided on Monday after the Chairman of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Services Technical & Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE, DESOPADEC Branch, Comrade John Osah announced the call off of the protest and subsequently urged the workers to return to their duty post.

Not satisfied with the reason advanced by the Union’s chairman for the call off, some of the workers who perceived he might have been compromise immediately formed a split group and react out to the State House of Assembly to intervene in the industrial crisis.

Our source said that the House of Assembly which had already slated meeting with management of the commission, however asked the protesting worker’s union to also appear before it but no formal invitation was sent.

Chairman of the junior workers union, Mr John Osah who confirmed that the protest has been rested in a telephone conversation with BigPen Online, said he decided to relax the protest following perceived plot by some persons to make the peaceful protest bloody and create room for security agents to arrest them.

“I call off the protest on Monday but some persons were not happy so they formed a kinda faction and said they will continue with the protest. They’ve gone to the state House of Assembly and the House has asked them to come on Friday and that I should be part of them.

“I said good and fine but if the House of Assembly is inviting DESOPADEC board and the union, there must be an official letter of invitation, it can’t be through verbal invitation because what if we get there and they say we were not invited, especially when they say the invitation is slated for Friday when most legislators travel. But if we get the invitation letter before then good and fine I can always be part of the meeting.

According to him, the protest was actually call off following advised by his pastor who reportedly told him there was an impending bloodbath and he was standing in between the cross line.

“I called off the protest following my pastor’s advice. He told me there was a bloodbath and I was standing between it. One of my exco member and my younger sister told me same thing like a dream they had so I actually obeyed the voice of God. The essence of the protest, afterall is to draw management and state government attention to our plight which has been done within two weeks but some of them are accusing me now that I might have be compromise.

“Some even say I was given N10million, some say N5million and all that. Can you imagine that! How can I mortgage people’s life for that, so I told them before God and man I didn’t negotiate calling off the protest with anybody. I didn’t collect even a dime from anybody. I asked God to see me through the protest and end it with me and he really saw me through and I believed the message of the protest has been passed.

“If I had not call off the protest on Monday do you know what could have happened. Is it not possible that God has arrange it this way and now they have gotten the attention of the House of Assembly so we are still on course and we only suspended the protest so if they fail to meet up to their promises we still have the right to continue protesting”, he added.

BigPen Online recalls that the Union’s workers had accused the management of feeding fat from the allocation accruing to the commission to detriment of the workers and ethnic nationalities which make up the commission.

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