Nigeria Governors’ Forum Calls For Restraint As Labour, Kaduna Govt Clash

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to be cool and restrained in its dealings with the Kaduna State government on Monday.

Kayode Fayemi, the NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, made the call in a tweet, adding that no substantive progress has ever been made in a climate of violence and turmoil.

“The NGF also wishes to remind the NLC that its actions could become counter-productive especially as the last year 2020, had adversely affected workers socially and economically,” the statement partly read.

“Therefore the NGF advises the NLC to explore the already open avenue of rapprochement that the Kaduna State government has provided to resolve the matter and join the State to evolve a convivial working environment that is befitting for all.”

Fayemi called on the NLC to be open-minded towards “the altruistic intention of the staff audit that the Kaduna State is embarking upon to sanitise the state’s workforce and make it more productive.”

He added, “This should not be seen as a witch-hunt or an attempt to unnecessarily downsize the civil service.

“As we all know, all States  are at present going through difficult  times and the most feasible option will  be for each State to device its own  response to its unique challenges without undermining the rights of  individuals to seek redress.”

The reaction of the NGF comes after the Kaduna State Government proclaimed NLC President Ayuba Wabba wanted.

The NLC president and other labor leaders have been declared wanted for economic sabotage and attacks on public facilities in Kaduna State, according to Governor Nasir Elrufai, who announced this on his verified Twitter handle @elrufai on Tuesday morning.

Following the state government’s recent disengagement of over 7,000 civil servants from the state and local governments, Wabba led staff in the state on a notice strike on Monday.

As aviation staff shut down operations at Kaduna International Airport (KIA) in solidarity, the protest resulted in a power outage, the closure of the airport, and fuel lines in various parts of the state.

The National Union of Petroleum Employees of Nigeria (NUPENG), the National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria (NUEE), and the National Union of Textile, Tailoring, and Garment Workers of Nigeria were among the affiliate unions that joined the protest.