Monday, November 12, 2012

NLC mobilises for mass action against Sokoto gov

Nigeria Labour Congress has threatened mass action against Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko if he refuses to apologise for his alleged physical assault on a Power Holding Company of Nigeria worker.

President of the NLC, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, said information available to the congress showed that the PHCN worker was invited and beaten to a state of coma by Wamakko because of power failure during a function in his home town.

Omar said the NLC had directed all unions in the state to mobilise workers to protest against the alleged attack.

He said, “The position of congress is that the governor must apologise publicly and he must do this as quickly as possible, otherwise we will unleash a series of actions to protect the integrity of not just workers in Sokoto State, but that of the generality of Nigerian workers.

“Congress is therefore putting every worker in both the public and private sectors in Sokoto State on notice by directing all unions to commence mobilisation towards a solidarity action by the entire workers of the state against this barbaric act by the governor, if he does not accede to the demand of the union to apologise.”

The NLC boss said the congress had to take further steps to compel the governor to apologise as he ignored the repeated calls by the National Union of Electricity Employees to tender a public apology for the assault on the PHCN worker.


He insisted that the refusal of the governor to apologise was glaringly indicative of his plan to inflict hardship on the people of the state.

Omar said the conduct of the governor was unexpected of the position of an elected public office holder in a sensitive position of governance, stressing that it constituted an embarrassment to the people of the state.

He said, “The Nigeria Labour Congress has been watching in the past few days with keen interest, what has been happening in Sokoto State where a gross human right violation was inflicted on a worker of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, by the state’s number one citizen, Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.

“We are reliably informed that light was taken off in the governor’s village (possibly while some ceremonies were to take place). The next thing was for the governor to summon the officer in charge of PHCN in the area and publicly flogged him to a state of coma.

“In reaction to this, the National Union of Electricity Employees, had asked the governor to apologise. Typical of an arrogant Governor, he chose to keep mute ever since, resulting in the total blackout being experienced in the state for about a week now.

“This is absolutely unacceptable in any decent society, and an uncivilised, undemocratic behavior least expected of anyone elected to serve the interests of the entire citizens of the state.”

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