Thugs Beat Up Protesting Labour Leaders Who Invaded Ngige’s Residence
LAGOS MAY 9TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The crisis rocking the labour sector, following the refusal of Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, to inaugurate the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) assumed a new dimension on Wednesday when thugs allegedly hired by the minister came hard on some labour leaders, beating them black and blue.
The fracas between the thugs and labour leaders ensued when the latter took a protest to the residence of the labour minister on Justice Muhammed Nasir Street, Asokoro, Abuja.
Some reporters covering the labour beat were not spared from the beating as a reporter with Premium Times, an online publication, sustained minor injuries while an official vehicle belonging to Africa Independent Television (AIT) was badly damaged.
Daily Independent gathered that trouble started as early as 7:30a.m when some of the protesters, allegedly on the orders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) leadership, used two heavy duty vehicles to block the entrance of Ngige’s house, apparently to prevent him from coming out of his residence.
While the minister was billed to attend the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, all efforts to get the protesters to remove the heavy duty vehicles from the entrance gate fell on deaf ears.
The development, which did not go down well with the minister, was believed to have prompted him to invite the suspected thugs who initially stood at a safe distance to observe the protest.
It was also gathered that before the situation got out of hand, some police, Department of State Services (DSS) officials, including personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) where already stationed at the residence of the minister to forestall a breakdown of law and order.
However, the situation got out of hand when the NLC president and his team arrived the area.
As soon as they sighted Ayuba Wabba, the thugs alighted from a white Toyota Hiace bus, all dressed in black attire with inscription on some of their shirts, ‘Police SWAT’.
Others, who were watching from a safe distance became emboldened and started using stones, sticks, bottles and other dangerous weapons against the protesting workers.
The police, DSS and NSCDC personnel watched helplessly while the thugs beat up the workers.
While giving account of the situation, Wabba who narrowly escaped being lynched, said about nine workers were injured out of which two were in a critical condition.
He said the Central Working Committee (CWC) and National Administrative Council (NAC), both decision making organs of the NLC, had been summoned for an emergency meeting where the matter would be deliberated upon.
According to him, it is high time President Muhammadu Buhari intervened in the matter.
“The act today is barbaric, where maximum force has been used on workers and live bullets used on them.
“Whereas workers went with bare hands, the thugs were carrying weapons and arms. And as I talk to you, we have nine people in the hospital apart from those that were injured by bullets”, he said.
Wabba vowed that NLC was going to invite more workers to continue the protest.
He said: “We are going to invite our largest organ by tomorrow.
“We are also going on a larger scale of action. I have no reason to call Minister of Labour. He is a lord of his own and therefore instead of protecting us, he is against us.
“Therefore, we have nothing to do with him and under the circumstance, except Mr. President intervenes, workers are going to certainly down tools. That is why we are calling our Central Working Committee.
“It has never been so bad where a Minister of Labour will bring thugs to attack workers. That has never been heard of. It is on record and everybody has seen.
“That is our position and now we are here to demonstrate in his office also to show that we are not happy. Therefore, Mr. President must act on this immediately. Workers voted and supported him.
“Ngige cannot, under any circumstances, assume the power of the president. That cannot be the case.”
Meanwhile, the President of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) workers, William Akporeha, who mobilised some of his members to the protest, said two of them were missing, following the attacks.
“We were only embarking on a peaceful protest but two of my members are missing now and I cannot fold my arms.
“We will maintain sanity until 12 midnight. If we do not find them, then every oil and gas worker in the country will be forced to go to the streets to look for them,” he warned.
A visit to the National Hospital, Abuja, confirmed the presence of nine injured protesters.
They were seen being attended to at the emergency ward by the hospital staff.
Officials of the FCT Police were also on the ground at the hospital where they pledged to bring the perpetrators to book.
It would be recalled that Ngige and the leadership of the NLC have been at loggerheads over the alleged recalcitrance of the minister to inaugurate Chief Frank Kokori, a former General Secretary of NUPENG, as substantive board chairman of NSITF.
Instead, Ngige recently redeployed Kokori to chair the board of Michael Imodu National Institute of Labour Studies, Ilorin, Kwara State, while he attempted to inaugurate Austin Enajemo-Isire as replacement for the NSITF board position.
The strained relationship between Ngige and the organised labour also played out on May 1, 2019 at the Eagle Square where workers were commemorating their annual festivities.
Ngige clearly stayed out of the event, hinging it on poor health.
The following day, a statement credited to the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, FCT chapter, and made available to select reporters, absolved Ngige of any blames, rather accusing the NLC of having sinister motives behind pressuring the minister to install Kokori as board chairman of NSITF.
As at the time of filing this report, Ngige and other cabinet members of President Buhari were still at the FEC meeting deliberating.
Ngige Denies Inviting Thugs To Manhandle Workers
Meanwhile, Chris Ngige has denied inviting thugs to manhandle protesting workers who blocked the entrance to his residence in Abuja.
Ngige stated this in a statement by Nwachukwu Obidiwe, his Special Assistant on Media.
“The private residence of the Minister of Labour was early this morning (4a.m.) invaded by the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and his members.
“These members among whom are tanker drivers, some with ferocious looks, also barricaded the gate to the residence of the minister with two long trucks.
“They chanted war songs and prevented the Hon. Minister, his wife, children and other aides from either leaving or gaining access to the compound.
“Comrade Wabba later left and returned with re-enforcement.
“The presence of these strange faces and mounting war songs sent heavy panic on the family members, especially children and female aides who thought the sudden early morning assemblage were of the underworld.
“Some of these unknown faces and the two tanker lorries blocking the entrance to the house are still there as I send this press statement.
“I therefore wish to state that contrary to reports being mischievously circulated in the media by the NLC president that the minister and is family who are in trauma did not invite thugs.
“He has no knowledge of it, or has a hand in the alleged manhandling of any worker,” he said.
Daily Independent
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Posted by News Rangers
on May 9 2019. Filed under National.
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