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Unpaid salaries: We are ready for showdown with Amosun –NLC

David Adenekan
David Adenekan
ASUU strike: NLC to embark on nationwide protest, mobilises
Ayuba Wabba

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has declared that it is ready for a showdown with Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State over threat to “disgrace the NLC” during its protest scheduled for March 5.

The declaration was made by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, on Friday in a statement issued in response to the threat by the governor.

Workers in the state have complained of the government’s refusal to pay their salaries and arrears.

Recently too, chairman of NLC in the state was sacked by the governor following his insistence that the dues must be paid.

To protest the alleged insensitivity of the state governor, NLC has scheduled a protest for March 5.

But in his reaction, Amosun was quoted as saying that he would “disgrace” NLC if it embarked on the protest.

It was in reply to the threat that Wabba stated that the threat would not stop NLC from protesting.

His words:  “The leadership of the NLC has taken cognisance of a statement credited to the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, where he threatened to disgrace the leadership of the NLC if the Congress insists on embarking on a protest scheduled for Tuesday March 5, 2019 in Ogun State…

“Our Position is that the Nigeria Labour Congress has taken note of the threat by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

“But we want to assure him that his threats will not deter us from defending the interest of workers in Ogun State whose rights he has been trampling upon.

“This is especially on the following issues: the non-remittance of statutory deductions from workers’ salaries for pensions, Cooperative, Ileya, Christmas etc. over a period of one hundred and five (105) months.”

He said further:  “To make matters worse, Governor Amosun sacked the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress from his employment for standing firm in the defence of the rights of workers in Ogun State.

“The issues we have highlighted are too grievous to be swept under the carpet, therefore, the decision of the 12th National Delegates Conference of the NLC to confront and engage Governor Amosun will be carried out to the letter on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.

“We are not unmindful of the fact that even Amosun’s political party has complained of his penchant to violently disgrace other spheres of leadership outside his control and sometimes beyond him.

“We are not unmindful of the fact that Governor Amosun’s hostility to Nigerian workers is primarily a transfer of aggression.

“Our confidence stems from the protection and guarantees provided by Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which gives workers and indeed all Nigerians the freedom to peaceful assembly and protest,” he said.

Wabba said NLC had informed the police and relevant security agencies about the protest as required by law.

He warned that NLC would hold the governor personally responsible for any harm that might come to any worker during our protest on March 5, 2019.

“We wish to alert our security agencies to Governor Amosun’s resort to violent threats.

“We assure him that his immunity cover will soon be removed and he must be ready to answer for his crimes against workers.

“The NLC can assure Ibikunle Amosun that we will continue to engage him even after he would have been sworn in as a Senator in Abuja.

“We wish to state that we unequivocally stand with the press statement recently released by our state council on this issue.

“We urge all our state councils especially those from the contiguous states to Ogun State – Lagos, Oyo, Osun states who are already fully mobilised for the protest not to be sacred one bit by the threats by Governor Ibikunle Amosun. We had dared and won worse tyrants,” NLC president said.

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