‘NLC Protest Will Not Affect The Decision Of Kaduna State Government’, El Rufai Condemns Labour

The Kaduna State Government has reacted to the ongoing protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state.

The protest has resulted in a power outage in the state, shut down of the airport, and fuel queues in various parts of the state.

Reacting to the protest, the Head of Service in the ongoing administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Baritu Mohammed said that the protesting workers are sabotaging the economic activities of the state, and insisted that the protest will not affect the decision of the state government.

She added that the Kaduna State Government will not hesitate to use the Trade Union Act which prohibits strikes by essential workers against the protesters.

“What is happening now in Kaduna is not an industrial action but a campaign of social and economic sabotage. The Kaduna State government is functioning despite illegal attempts to lock our offices, hospitals, and schools. The schools are open, our offices and hospitals are open.

“NLC is aware that inflicting pain on citizens, locking hospitals and public institutions, shutting down electricity will not change or affect the decision of Kaduna State government.

“It will not change the intention of the Kaduna State government to use Trade Union Act which prohibits strike by essential workers,” Mohammed said.

The HoS also claimed that the leadership of the NLC is forcing workers to join the protest, saying that some fuel stations were threatened by the NLC leadership.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, during the protest, said due process was not observed in the recent sacking of over 7,000 workers from the Local Government Service, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Primary Health Care Agency.

The labor leader said all the unions including Student Unions and pensioners are part of the protest as they are directly affected by the mass sacking of the civil servants.

In solidarity with the NLC Protest, the aviation workers have shut down operations of the Kaduna International Airport (KIA).

The workers, under the umbrella of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), said the airport would remain shut for the period of the warning strike.