ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
An alleged power tussle in the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education has denied no fewer than 164 teachers their November and December salaries in the state.
The tussle is said to be between the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Hitler Dickson, and the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Post-Primary Schools Board, Chief Millionaire Asangba.
It was gathered that the teachers affected in the non-payment of two months salaries were those who were transferred from the various local government areas into the PPSB.
Also affected were teachers who were transferred from the various ministries to the Ministry of Education because they have education-related degrees and those who attended the Institute of Teacher Training at Bolou-Orua in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that despite the completion of the Oracle verification exercise ordered by the state government, the duo of Dickson and Asangba had allegedly refused to sign the payment vouchers of the teachers due to wranglings over the control of the board.
It was further learnt that the law setting up the State Post Primary School Board stipulated that the Permanent Secretary is the Secretary to the board and his duty is to get directives from the Board.
The law also stipulated that the permanent secretary is a signatory to the board’s payment voucher.
The PS was said to have refused to sign the voucher as he complained that he would only sign the voucher if he was allowed to have access to the voucher, a request the Board Chairman allegedly refused.
Some of the affected teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that Dickson and Asangba had made their Christmas celebration a bleak one.
They feared that if the issues were not resolved, they would be welcomed to a bleak new year.
They said: “We were once again subjected to biometric capturing at the Due Process Unit and when we went to ask the Chairman of the Post-Primary Schools Board, we were told it was the State Treasury that had refused to pay our salaries.
“We called the cell phone of the Chairman, PPS, but the line rang out three times. We are making efforts to reach the Accountant General of the state but his phone number is not connecting.”
They appealed to Governor Douye Diri to intervene in order to ensure that they were paid.
They said the non-payment of their salaries for two months had made lives difficult and unbearable for them.
Attempts to contact the duo of Dickson and Asangba were not successful as their phones did not connect.