Peter Jerome
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba has just been declared wanted by Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State.
Governor El-Rufai in a tweet this morning declared the Labour Leader wanted for economic sabotage and attacks on public infrastructure under Miscellaneous Offences Act and further promised a handsome reward to the anyone with useful information on his whereabout.
NLC had earlier on, led members of affiliate unions on a protest that crippled economic activities in Kaduna. Banks, hospital, train station, airport were shut while the state was plunged into darkness as electricity workers also joined the mass action.
Addressing members of the unions at the NLC secretariat on Monday, Wabba emphasised that the organised labour would not back down until the demands are acceded to by the governor.
“The decision has been communicated to all security agencies of the government. It is the beginning of the struggle of labour and we hope our politicians will cooperate with us to ensure we protect our democracy by delivering its dividends to the citizens including workers.”
“Organised labour is in Kaduna to tell the world the truth of what the workers, pensioners, students and other citizens in the state are going through besides the lies being peddled by media platforms on El-Rufai’s payroll.
“The situation of the workers in the state is so pathetic that thousands of them have been laid off from their sources of livelihood without the state government making any effort to pay them their entitlements.
“Worst still, El-Rufai has gone further to increase school fees in public state school thereby making the children of those sacked from their working place without payment to become dropouts.
“It is only Kaduna State out of the other states in the country that throws workers out of their jobs without any regards for the labour law and that is why we are here.”
Meanwhile, reports reveal that Wabba was last seen publicly in Kaduna where he led members of NLC on a protest against policies of El-Rufai’s administration.