By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) — The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kaduna State council, north west of the country has accused the state government of resorting to crude propaganda and diversionary tactics.
According to NLC, the government was trying to depict the rally organized and attended by the leadership of the entire Labour Movement in Nigeria as an agitation by 21, 000 unqualified teachers.
A statement issued by the state Chairman, Adamu Ango, and made available to newsmen, said, NLC would never be intimated, but would continue to play its historical role of the conscience of society and protector of workers’ rights using all means available to it within the confines of the law.
“Our attention has been drawn to the contents of press briefing by Adamu Mansur, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Kaduna dated 8h November, 2017 and we react to same.
“That, the Kaduna State government as usual, instead of addressing the core issues relative to the impasse between it and the Labour Movement has resorted to crude propaganda and diversionary tactics by trying to depict a rally organized and attended by the leadership of the entire Labour Movement in Nigeria as an agitation by 21,000 unqualified teachers.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the rally held in Kaduna on 8h November 2017, was peaceful and same was held in exercise of our members constitutional rights guaranteed under, Section 35(1), 39(1) and 40 of the 1999 Constitution .
“Fortunately, in Kaduna State, similar rights have been exercised in support of the state government’s decision to take external loan without let or hindrance, labour stated.
“That, by organizing the peaceful rally of 8h November, 2017, the Labour Movement did not offend the provisions of any extant law and no (member of the Labour Movement).
“Recent events in the Educational sector have vindicated the Labour Movement whose advice to government to utilizing the over N10 Billion expended on the school feeding programme in the development of infrastructure and teacher education/retraining was ignored.
“The government in the face of its lack luster performance resultant inter-alia, from lack of Teacher education/retraining cannot now turn around and claim to be more patriotic or concerned about falling standards of education than the Labour Movement.
“The events at the Kaduna State House of Assembly after the rally by the Labour Movement cannot be attributed to it, and same is a replica of the sad events at the NUJ secretariat, Kaduna, where supporters of the state government openly attacked law abiding citizens who were there to address press conference and unfortunately nobody has been prosecuted or is being prosecuted for participating in the dastardly act.
“The attempt by the Kaduna State Government to sack 21,000 teachers in the public schools of Kaduna State is in public domain and therefore, pupils in public schools coming out to demonstrate on the streets was not orchestrated by the Labour Movement,” the statement maintained.
It added, “We hereby affirm in unmistakable terms, that the Labour Movement will never be intimated and it will indeed continue to play its historical role of the conscience of society and protector of workers’ rights using all means available to it within the confines of the law, the said.
