NLC refutes allegation of Wabba attacking civil servants over N1bn housing project

By Ukpono Ukpong

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has denied the report in a section of the media (not Daily Times) that the Congress President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba attacked civil servants over the one billion naira mass housing project.

In a statement signed by the NLC Head, Information and Public Affairs, Comrade Benson Upah, the congress explained that the report was a misrepresentation of fact.

Upah said that the headquarters of the NLC came under attack on January 18 by miscreants led by one Emeka Anuna who poses as Chairman of the FGN/FCT/NLC/TUC Mass Housing Project Subscribers Association.

“The attention of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has been drawn to a fictitious publication by the Punch and Sun Newspapers of 18th and 19th January 2023, respectively on alleged attack on civil servants by the NLC over a N1Billion Housing Project.

“It is unfortunate that miscreants posing as workers’ representatives decided to spin a false narrative and present same to the public as true.

“The truth is that the headquarters of the NLC on 18th January 2023 came under a heavy attack by hoodlums sponsored and led by one Mr. Emeka Anuna who poses as Chairman of the FGN/FCT/NLC/TUC Mass Housing Project Subscribers Association.

“The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress was actually out of the office when he received a call that well-armed thugs and hoodlums had besieged the national headquarters of the NLC and were assaulting Congress staff and other workers in the premises. On getting to the office, he noticed that the mob had spilled over to the road adjourning the headquarters of the NLC.

“He decided to disembark from his vehicle to observe what was going on. It was at this point that he saw Mr. Emeka Anuna opening the trunk of his car and collecting placards and distributing money to some hoodlums who were beginning to disperse from the Labour House.

“The President and some staff of the Congress then decided to accost Mr. Emeka Anuna to explain the reason for leading thugs to invade the Labour House. Our reason for engaging Mr. Emeka Anuna was because the NLC as an organisation that fights for the interest of workers and the masses believes in the sanctity of protest and would always be willing to engage any peaceful protest but not hoodlums.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress is in possession of video clips of the attack against genuine workers and NLC Staff by hoodlums hired by Mr. Emeka Anuna who we know is not a worker as he has no known organisation that he can claim to work for or trade union that he can claim to belong to. We are shocked that such a character can claim to represent civil servants.”

Upah noted that the attack on the Labour House by Mr Anuna is not the first time he has resorted to self-help and criminal trespassing to achieve his selfish goals even as he revealed that the Congress has lodged a petition to the Nigeria Police Force as well as the State Security Service to investigate the particulars of the case and to unearth the sponsors of the attack against workers especially genuine subscribers of the FGN/FCT/NLC/TUC Mass Housing Project and bring those frustrating the project to book.

Explaining further, Upah said that the FGN/FCT/NLC/TUC/ Mass Housing Project of 2014 is a project that is dear to the heart of NLC and TUC and which has elicited very proactive, progressive, and sustained actions by the leadership of the Congress led by Comrade Ayuba Wabba to ensure timely delivery of the project.

“After a series of letters and strong representations by the NLC to the Minister of the FCTA, the Minister obliged our demand to visit the project site and assess the state of work.

“Following the visit of the FCT Minister, Mallam Mohammed Bello and subsequent meetings between the NLC, TUC, the Subscribers Association, and the Project Developer – Good Homes Limited, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) was appointed to chair a resolution committee with the mandate to resolve all the issues pertaining to the project. This Committee has met a number of times and has made some progress towards addressing the encumbrances by the developer which has militated against the project.

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“Unfortunately, Mr. Anuna and a few of his ilk have chosen to sabotage the resolution process by hiring thugs from time to time to attack the offices of the Minister and the NLC. The attitude of Mr. Anuna and his co-travellers leaves us wondering where his interest lies – peaceful resolution of the issues militating against the execution of mass housing subscribed to by genuine workers or truncation of the remediation process.”

However, the NLC issued a seven days’ notice to the media houses that carried the report to retract the report which he described as a deliberate attempt by the grand sponsors of the fictitious story to embarrass the President of the Congress and to circumvent the efforts of the leadership of the Congress to pursue justice on behalf of genuine workers who were short-changed by the entrenched incongruities and wickedness in the Nigerian system.