The National Union of Teachers (NUT), Isoko South Local Government Area branch, held its eighth Quadrennial Delegates Conference and elected new officials to pilot the affairs of the union for the next four years.
The election produced Comr Okolo Evi, a Mathematics and Computer Science teacher at Origho Primary School, Emosonye, Isoko South, as the new Chairman.
The newly elected Chairman won with 204 votes to defeat her opponent, Comr Ejezire Gooluck, who polled 136 votes in an open ballot contest.
The election, held at the NUT Secretariat Hall, was praised as one of the best and most peaceful in the history of the union in Delta State, marking the first time a woman emerged as the winner. Other elected officials include Agbagbatu Onutomaha as Deputy Chairman, Egbe Anthony as Branch Secretary, Idhalama Orevaoghene as Treasurer, and Orife Isaac Efemena as Branch Financial Secretary, while the position of Publicity Secretary was won by Osokpor Collins.
Also, Comr Udemude Helen was elected Branch Social Secretary, while Comr Igrigi Kingsley became Assistant Secretary. The positions of First, Second, and Third Vice Chairmen were won by Comr Enua Mike, Comr Uzobo Augustine, and Comr Ejeh Ogheneweware, respectively. Comr Egwero Meriomame and Comr Edo Israel were elected as First and Second Examiners of Accounts, respectively.
In her post-election speech, the newly elected Chairman of the NUT Isoko South Local Branch, Comr Okolo Evi, expressed gratitude to all the delegates and teachers in the local government for the trust placed in her.
She promised not to let them down and assured that she will build on the legacy of her predecessors, with emphasis on the welfare of teachers that will be topmost in her agenda, saying she would tackle the issues of the non-release of teachers’ pay slips and the removal of the stagnant level 14 ceiling placed on promotion. Evi also promised to involve everyone in the decision-making process in the branch.
Earlier in his address, the new State Chairman of NUT, Delta State Wing, Comr Poubeni Dickson, admonished delegates at the conference to be thorough and wise in their choice of candidates to fill the 13 elective positions; urging the leadership of the Union at the local government level to keep faith with an earlier directive of the National Headquarters in equitable zoning arrangement of offices in the NUT. He emphasised that the directive stipulates “ensuring that the 14 contestable positions are equitably shared between primary and secondary schools to give the two sectors of the Union a high sense of belonging in the service of teachers.”
The state chairman, who was represented by the State NUT 2nd Vice Chairman, Comr Ovhrakpa Ese advised the delegates to exhibit a high sense of maturity and decorum in the course of the election.
In his opening address, the outgoing chairman, Chief Dan Odhomo, charged the leaders that will emerge from the elections to always leverage and maintain the established cordial relationship with other educational stakeholders, which provided them with the requisite peaceful industrial relationships.
He urged them to work in synergy with the State Executive to find solutions to the challenges facing the union, including resolving the Level 14 ceiling issue and ensuring the provision of payslips to primary school teachers, matters that need to be urgently addressed.
Present at the conference were all the delegates, State NUT 2nd Vice Chairman, Comr Ovhrakpa Ese, State Officer, Comr Etakebo Power, representative of the Isoko South Local Government Chairman, Local Education Authority (LEA) Secretary, Hon Ese Blessing and a host of other stakeholders.
The newly elected NUT Isoko South Local Government Branch Executive were formally inaugurated by the State NUT 2nd Vice Chairman, Comr Ovhrakpa Ese.
