Mr John Idumange, General Manager, Radio Bayelsa,
christened Glory FM on Friday confirmed that he flogged four union leaders of
the station as earlier reported.
He General Manager in his reaction justifying the action
said that he took the action in self-defense.
Idumange saidat the weekend that the incident happened on
Monday February 20, after the unions shut down the FM station operated by
Bayelsa Government.
The Radio Bayelsa Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)
and Radio Television and Theatre Arts Workers Union (RATTAWU) had alleged that
Idumange was running the station outside public service rules.
Idumange who explained the details of the incident,
alleged that the unions in the station were working against his reforms aimed
at repositioning the broadcast outfit.
“At about 7.20pm on Monday, the day RATTAWU and NUJ
embarked on strike, I heard voices near my window.
“So I went out to see what was happening. I saw four
persons, one of them a girl.
“I could recognize Tonye Yemoleigha who was on white
shirt. I asked why they were there after chasing away all the workers.
“Tonye stood up and asked if the compound belonged to me.
At that point I discovered he was ready for a fight but I did not bulge.
“He brought his hands near my eyes so I blocked it. I had
learnt Karate years back. One of them threw a chair at me and all of the rushed
to fight me. I had to fight back in self- defense.
“They should have beaten me up but my Karate skills
rescued me,” Idumange said
Idumange who was appointed on December 6, 2016 claimed
that he recently uncovered N5.7 million corruption and redeployed staff.
“The transferred workers have been meeting with them at NUJ
Centre, they benefitted from the corruption and are fighting back,” Idumange
said.
Mr Tonye Yemoleigha, NUJ Chairman in Radio Bayelsa said
that the unions had reported the incident at Ekeki Police Division.
“Four of us, myself and three staff were flogged by
Idumange himself. The report that it was thugs is inaccurate. It was the
General Manager himself. The blisters on the skin are more severe for the lady.
“We have reported the matter to the Ekeki Police Division
and sought medical attention at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa. Workers
have been constantly intimidated and threatened for no just cause.
“Mr John Angese,
Bayelsa Council Chairman of NUJ who is a staff of Radio Bayelsa has also been
threatened with a sack, we are all being victimised for insisting that the
General Manager complies with Public Service rules.
“We have been under siege since the General Manager was
appointed on December 6, 2016. We are not opposed to repositioning the station
which is in our interest but we want the procedure to follow due process,”
Yemoleigha said.
After the station went off air, the management mobilised
armed security men and few employees who rebuffed the strike to reopen the
station.
Yemoleigha said that workers of the station are not
opposed to staff redeployment.
“But the unions
should also be part of the process to ensure that the best hands are not
sacrificed on the altar of nepotism, sentiment or witchhunt.
“We are also aware of the alleged over N5 million naira
payroll fraud which Idumange claimed to have uncovered and has referred to the
Police for investigation.
“Ordinarily, in line with established procedures, an
Investigative Panel should have been instituted to look into the matter and
come up with a report with which management would act as appropriate.
“All these are expressly spelt out in the Public Service
Rules; however, we are requesting for a copy of the police report after their
investigation.
“We have asked management to properly discipline everyone
involved in an established case of running the salary of a staff who resigned
with effect from August 2016,” Yemoleigha said
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