By Amos Tauna
Kaduna (Nigeria) – The Nigeria Labour Congress has kicked against the sacking of 36,000 primary school teachers by governor Nasiru El-Rufai of Kaduna state, saying the governor is executing anti labour policies.
According to the union, the competency test which was conducted and used as basis for the sack was false because government had a predetermined number of workers they want to sack.
Speaking in Kaduna Thursday in a peaceful protest against the sacking of the workers in the state said, “We will continue to strategise even if we have to come here every month, we will not be tired until the right thing is done. Evil cannot succeed over goodness and truth. Nigerians must know and hear the story of Kaduna workers.
“So we know it is work in progress and no worker in Kaduna is safe. But we are confident that we can not be defeated, they can use force but we can use our number. Injury to one must be injury to all.
“We will continue to strategise even if we have to come here every month, we will not be tired until the right thing is done. Evil cannot succeed over goodness and truth. Nigerians must know and here the story of Kaduna workers.
“Before our protest, we wrote to the IGP because it is a constitutional rights, what the law says is that they need to give us security, and so we wrote to them, the law did not say we should seek for permission because it is a fundamental human rights.
“The same rights Kaduna State government has used to bring thugs on two occasions to demonstrate in support of his policies. So why should it be different for Nigerian workers, why should Nigerian workers be prevented, including using security operatives who are supposed to be in Benue, Adamawa, Rivers where we have killings going on.
“We are harmless workers, we don’t carry arms, but see the security agencies with arms, this is not what we bargained for. Some people in government today use protest to be where they are today.
“In 2012, El-rufai joined us in the struggle and we gave him a T-shirt and a cap, after using protest he cannot come and deny citizens. If we don’t respect the rule of law then we are working towards anarchy.
“We wrote to the IGP that we are going to gather here today and to the Governor that we are going to deliver a letter to him.”
“We cannot keep quiet, this is not the democracy we bargained for. Let me assure you comrades that this is just the beginning. We have now tested the waters and the struggle would be carried to every state in Nigeria and Abuja to tell the powers that be where the problem is.”
He explained that the organised labour was in Kaduna to stand with the workers, adding, “I have also seen Presidents and General Secretaries of all our industrial unions here present to support Kaduna workers.
“Let me once again salute Kaduna workers that have come out in large numbers despite the intimidation, despite all obstacles, despite the use of maximum force, including bullets that was used today in the entering from Abuja to Kaduna.
“This is to say that democracy has come to stay, this is to say that citizens have their rights to freedom of association. It is a fundamental human rights that no force on earth can stop.
“Am aware that about 8,000 forces including the military, police and civil defense were deployed this morning to intimidate us and use maximum force against us. Am aware that a lot of workers were also intimidated and others shot.
“Our leader in ASUU movement Dipo Fashina who is leading the intellectual angle of our discuss on his entry into Kaduna was manhandled. This is not the democracy we bargained for. Democracy is about the rule of law, about respecting human beings.
“In the history of our movement this is the only time that maximum force has been used to intimidate workers for fighting for their rights.
“We are fighting for the rights of 36,000 workers and their families who were disengaged from Kaduna civil service. The last time we were here we were talking about 21,000 teachers, but as we speak over 4,000 local government workers have been issued sack letters. Over 8,000 workers from ministries, departments and Agencies including tertiary institutions have been served letters.”
https://www.africaprimenews.com/2017/12/22/news/how-el-rufai-lied-on-atikus-contribution-to-apc-party-chieftain-reveals-2/
