By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
The President of Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE), Comrade Lazarus Adorolor, has indicated interest of contesting for the top position of the Union.
The election of a new national president of the Union is a major activity to be conducted during the NULGE National Delegates Conference, tentatively fixed for January 5 – 6, 2021, in Lagos.
Adorolor, of Edo North extraction, is expected to fly the Edo State flag at the election.
Other contestants in the race for the NULGE top position and who are expected to slug it out with Adorolor are from
NULGE chapters in Imo, Cross River, Ogun and Delta state respectively.
Adorolor, a former two term chairman of the NULGE branch of Etsako West local government, is highly tipped for the coveted position based on his reach, tract record and achievements while in office.
In a chat with journalists, an unassuming Adorolor, who described his candidature as “God’s project”, rated his chances of clinching the top post during the delegates conference of the Union as bright, stressing it is time to fix “a broken and divided body” and make it relevant to the changing needs of a contemporary workforce.
He noted, however, that his candidacy will afford the Union an opportunity to right some wrongs which had plagued it since inception, one of which is the inability of South-South zone to produce the president of the Union.
He stated, “Other zones have had their own fair share of producing the president of the Union except the South-South zone.
This is the right time to allow the South-South zone produce the next president of the Union so as to promote equity and justice”.
Adorolor who boasted to have been in the centre of confidence and capacity building in the Union, a role he said exposed him to its inner workings, noted he is best equipped to lead the Union having served as part of the team whose mandate was to restore peace and order, on two separate occasions, in July 2005 and in 2009, as a result of the protracted crisis that rocked the Union and threatened its core existence.
According to Adorolor, whose first tenure as Edo State chapter president of the Union is still running, the major achivements of his administration which was al campaign promise is the break of the jinx surrounding the non promotion of Edo State local government workers for a period six years which was achieved within a year and 4 months of his tenure as state president.
He submitted that his decision to run for the highest office in the Union is not a happenstance, noting he will ensure that the benefits of the Union accrues to all and sundry.