Adressing a letter to the Senior Divisional Officer of Meme Division Chamberlain Ntou'o Ndong, councillors of Konye Council have frowned at their Mayor's silence on the payment of salaries for council workers.
In a letter, the supervisory authority of the local development institution recieved, he was made to understand that there is no respect for a municipal deliberation authorising the council's executive to open a credit line at a Limbe based bank "to guarantee the payment of workers salaries and taxes" to the tune of 35M FCFA.
Dated February 15, 2022, the SDO reacted to the councilors' worries by setting up an "ad hoc committee which shall present a report", a report on the situation of the council and that of the councilors to be presented to hierarchy consideration.
Hilltopvoices.com gathered that the decision to file a complaint follows a November 2021 municipal deliberation, with a copy authorising the council executive to create the credit line which according to the councillors has not been done.
"Why do you think that I have not done so? Are issues relating to the payment of staff salaries oral or documentary? Investigative journalism is something more than you are doing. The source of your information is doubtful. He who alleges must prove. Please review your style." Mayor Geroge Musima Lobe responded to us when contacted on the matter (quote culled from Hilltopvoices).
Hilltopvoices contacted some workers by phone, through messaging and it appeared while the creation of the committee is till awaited, workers have remained unpaid for seven months and counting as the matter drags on.
"Do you also have a report from the purported ad hoc committee and the SDOs reaction?" The Mayor questioned Hilltopvoices when they confirmed that they had some reasonable documentation relating to the complain about the non payment of salaries.
Hilltopvoices' indepth findings proved that workers seem not to be aware of the creation of the ad hoc committee, intended to submit reports to the SDO about the situation at Konye Council.
The workers indicated that the supervisory authority had reacted to the subject by suggesting that the funds might have been have been used for an emergency situation an act which the Councilor consider as misappropriation and should by every standard attract an administrative sanction on negligence.
By Ndefru Melanie
Culled from Hilltopvoices reports
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