NASS to engage El-rufai over mass sack, labour crisis in Kaduna

The leadership of the National Assembly is to engage the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over the mass sack and the ongoing strike/protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state.

Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, made this known in Abuja as the President of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ambali Olatunji, said the current face-off between workers and El-Rufai is gradually degenerating into anarchy.

Senator Ekweremadu and Comrade Ambali, spoke when a delegation of NULGE paid a visit to the former deputy Senate President at the Apo legislative quarters, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Senator Ekweremadu disclosed that the leadership national assembly will also engage the governor, saying that El-Rufai was supposed to have negotiated with the unions before it degenerated into that level.

He expressed sadness at the invasion of the NLC state secretariat and the use of thugs suspected to have been hired by the state government, saying such action should be condemned in strong terms.

The former Deputy Senate President said: “I am not just a legislator, I am also a lawyer. So, I believe in the freedom of expression, I believe in freedom of assembly, I believe in constructive engagements and I believe in the respectable airing of opinions.

“So, I expect that the government of Kaduna State should be able to engage the labour unions constructively.”

He, therefore, called on labour leaders to reinforce their members across the country and resist the thugs sent by unnamed politicians who are hell-bent on disrupting the peaceful protest.

He said: “Now that it is turning violent, this is the time for other associated labour unions to get involved to show solidarity to the labour people in Kaduna such that the government will now be forced to engage labour in a manner that is constructive.

“Sending thugs to start harassing labour unions’ leaders and their members is completely unacceptable. It shows that we are not actually in the 21st century. As leaders, sometimes we have to take responsibilities, we also have to show restraint in the face of provocation, that is what leadership is all about.

“We should not be behaving like thugs or sending thugs to go and dispatch people who are protesting, especially when it is not violent. So, the national assembly will continue to support the free expressions ideas and views in this country including labour organisations as long as labour itself tries as much as possible to be responsible.

“I believe that the leadership of the national assembly is also going to engage the government of Kaduna State to ensure that this thing is contained. I’m happy that everybody is talking about it. I understand that the federal government is intervening presently.”

Speaking earlier, Comrade Ambali, who had warned El-Rufai, not to burn down the country with his actions against the Nigerian workers had also called on Ekweremadu to speak to his colleagues in both chambers to prevail on the governor, saying that the ongoing strike in Kaduna State can spread to the 36 states if not prevented on time.

He said: “We are happy to be here. We know your opinion counts in Nigeria. We hope you will lend your voice to the resolution of the labour imbroglio in Kaduna. What we are witnessing now is a return to anarchy and we hope as a leader you will do something.

“We watched some of our leaders talking but we still need your voice and we hope that NULGE will count on your support to actualise this dream of a better Nigeria through granting of total autonomy to local governments in this 9th assembly.”

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NASS to engage El-rufai over mass sack, labour crisis in Kaduna