…demands immediate release
The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday condemned in strong terms the use of soldiers and other security personnel by the Kogi State Government to harass, brutalise, maim, arrest and detain peacefully-protesting students of Kogi State-owned tertiary institutions.
Ayuba Wabba, NLC President who issued the threat notice via a statement titled: ‘Stop harassing students, pay up salaries’ obtained by BusinessDay, described the State Government’s action as “unlawful, barbaric and unacceptable.”
The NLC President also urged Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to ensure immediate payment of all outstanding salaries of workers and pensions.
Worried by the development, the NLC President who called foe immediate and unconditional release of all the students, noted that the action of the students were guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.
He however warned that failure to comply with the Congress’s counsel, the NLC and its affiliates will ground government activities across the state without further notice.
“The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the Constitution, the highest law of the land and should not be abridged by the Governor or anyone.
“The students should therefore be released immediately and unconditionally, else the entire Labour Movement with its Civil Society allies will mobilise the state without further notice.
“We advise the Governor who has fought everybody that has dared to raise a voice, not to test the will or the resolve of the Nigerian workers to see through the task of preserving democracy in the state.
“We find it necessary to state that tertiary institutions owned by the Government of Kogi State have been on strike for over six months over unpaid salaries. In the said period, the students took it upon themselves to mediate between the workers and the Government. And whereas, the workers were ready to make concessions, the government refused to shift ground.
“The impact of the strike on all the parties has been great but with the students worst hit, as some have lost an academic year already, while others have twice missed the opportunity to graduate and do national service.
“With no solution in sight or any appreciable effort by government to bring the strike action to an end, the students were left with no option than to embark on a peaceful protest intended to bring government and the striking workers to the negotiating table.
“We find it saddening that instead of commending the students for their initiative and patriotism, the State Government elected to Criminalise the peaceful protest which suggests no lesson has been learnt from such fruitless adventures.
“It is interesting to note that Kogi State tops the chart of non-salary paying states with fifteen (15) months backlog inspite of warehousing for the government of Yahaya Bello the first bail-out fund and the second bail-out.
“Salaries and pensions constitute fundamental human rights of workers and pensioners and nothing should be done to threaten these or else the lives of workers, pensioners and their families are put in jeopardy.
“In light of the foregoing, we advise Governor Yahaya Bello to pay up without further delay outstanding salaries and pensions, negotiate with striking workers in tertiary institutions instead of intimidating or incarcerating students,” Wabba said in the statement.
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
