Mr. Adelegan Solomon, Vice President of NLC, made this known when he addressed protesters at the MMIA yesterday.
Solomon, who is also the president of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUCPTRE), urged Nigerians to unanimously reject the hike in fuel price.
According to him, the N145 per litre announced by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) will further increase the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.
He noted that Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) were members of AUCPTRE, adding that arrangements have been perfected to ground flight operations at the airport.
President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Dr. Nasir Fagge, said Nigerians must remain united against the ruling class.
Cross River complied with directive
Also, Cross River complied with the NLC directive. When Daily Sun went round the state and federal secretariats around 9:00am yesterday, some offices were under lock and key while a few people were seen in groups discussing the issue.
However, banks and filling stations within Calabar metropolis operated at full steam.
Addressing newsmen in Calabar, the state NLC Chairman, Mr John Ushie said after meetings between labour leaders and the Federal Government ended in deadlock on Tuesday, labour had no option than to embark on strike.
ASUU, SSANU, ASUP join protest
Academic activities in the nation’s universities and the polytechnics were paralysed as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) joined the fuel protest.
But, it was a different story in public and private schools as the doors remained opened.
ASUU’s National President, Mr. Usman Dutse, and some chapter chairmen told Daily Sun that members in the universities and polytechnics are part of the nationwide protest.
When Daily Sun visited UNILAG yesterday academic and administrative activities were grounded as exam halls and offices were deserted by the workers.
Obafemi Awolowo University ASUU chairman, Dr. Caleb Aborishade told Daily Sun on phone that his members complied with NLC directive stating “no academic activities will take place for now. We joined NLC Osun chapter at Osogbo for the protest. The strike is in full here.’’
At the University of Benin and University of Ibadan, Dr. Anthony Monye-Emina and Dr. Deji Omole respectively, disclosed that their members have withdrawn their services as directed by the NLC and that the strike would be total until the federal government meets NLC’s demand.
Carnival in Delta, new labour union in Ebonyi
By Our Correspondents
No action yet in Bayelsa
THE strike did not take off as scheduled in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State due to communication hitches.
Though most civil servants had stopped going to work over unpaid salaries, few of them still reported for duty because there was no directive as at 8:00am for the strike to commence in the state. However around 11:00am, some union members stormed the Bayelsa State Broadcasting Corporation and chased the workers away. The situation was normal in federal ministries, departments and parastatals as most workers who had expressed readiness to join the strike were told that the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had pulled out so they would not be part of the industrial action.
Workers in Kano shun strike
THE industrial action did not take off in Kano State as workers resumed at their respective duty posts.
Daily Sun observed that civil servants in the state were at their offices at the Audu Bako Secretariat. A similar trend was noticed at the federal secretariat, located on Katsina Road in the state capital. It was equally observed that schools, both private and public, opened while courts and hospitals in the state capital all functioned normally.
It was yet unclear if the workers in the state would eventually join the strike by today or not.
Federal offices shut in Akwa Ibom
THE strike flopped in Akwa Ibom State.
Apart from the shutting down of the state and federal secretariats, strenuously performed by some labour leaders, there was no other impact of the strike in the state. While workers, whose offices are in the two secretariats, were denied access by the labour leaders, other set of workers, especially teachers and bankers were at their duty posts until they were harassed to go home by the NLC strike Implementation Task Force.
Daily Sun observed that the only bank which never bothered to open at all yesterday was Akwa Savings and Loans Limited, owned by Akwa Ibom State Government which has been embroiled in salary payment controversies in recent days.
Edo govt issues counter order
IN Edo, the state government directed workers in the state public service to shun the strike. The state government warned that any worker who shuns work under the guise of strike will forfeit his or her pay.
The government, in a statement by the Head of Service, Mrs. Gladys Idahor, said: “all workers are expected to be at their duty posts. Any worker who stays away from work will forfeit his or her pay as ‘no work, no pay’ will be strictly enforced.
“All public schools and institutions are expected to remain open as school is in session.
“Heads of Departments and Parastatals are directed to keep records of workers’ attendance for further action.
“Workers in Edo State Public Service should be aware that the current strike embarked on by the NLC is illegal, as the NIC had issued a restraining order on the strike…”
Protest turns carnival in Delta
A peaceful rally organised yesterday in Asaba, by the Delta State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliate unions turned into a carnival of sorts at the Government House gate where the unionists danced to music supplied by a hired disc jockey (DJ).
The rally signaled commencement of the indefinite strike as directed by the national body of NLC over the recent increase in the pump price.
The Federal Secretariat, housing federal ministries, departments and agencies, was shut. State-owned government institutions are also shut while some banks were seen carrying out skeletal services.
The protesters armed with placards of various inscriptions had gathered at the Ezenei junction as early as 7am and marched through the streets of Asaba, picketing offices that defied the directive before berthing at the Government House where Governor Ifeanyi Okowa sent his solidarity message through his Chief of Staff, Tam Brisibe.
Before the arrival of the governors emissary, the protesters danced the music blaring from the DJ. The famous Nigeria jagajaga by Eedris; Dem Mama by Timaya and Mr. President, lead us well by African China sent the unionists into a frenzy.
New labour union surfaces in Ebonyi
THERE was confusion in Ebonyi State as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliate unions appeared divided over the strike.
Daily Sun gathered that the state Chairman, Mr. Ikechukwu Nwafor had declared that the strike would be total but, there was a twist yesterday, as another labour group, under the aegis of Junior Labour Union issued a counter-statement, which dissociated them from the strike.
A statement signed by the leader of the Junior Labour union, Comrade Uchenna Uguru called on Ebonyi workers to disregard an earlier call by NLC to embark on strike, and added that the reason behind the strike was not good enough.
“This is to inform the general public that we, the Junior Labour Union and all our affiliate unions will not be embarking on any strike action. We wish to use this medium to inform all our members nationwide and call on Nigerians to continue working towards developing Nigeria. Truth must be told. It is only in Nigeria that a litre of fuel is cheaper than a bottle of water and it is our duty to support the government to develop the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nwafor, in a swift reaction, disowned any other labour union in the state, adding that the only union authorized to issue statements on labour issues is NLC.
Schools, filling stations, govt and business offices remain open in Bauchi
RESIDENTS of Bauchi State, yesterday, carried on with their normal daily activities despite NLC’s call for a strike.
Daily Sun correspondent who went round the state capital to monitor the situation reports that schools, commercial banks, markets, filing stations and other public institutions were operating.
The NLC Chairman said the state executive of NLC met on Tuesday and directed its members to join the nationwide strike but, unfortunately, there was no compliance in Bauchi State. According to Gita Hashimu “We issued a press release and directed all our members to embark on strike starting from today (Wednesday) but they did not comply and it’s difficult to fish out those that did not join the strike because TUC had earlier back out of the strike.”
He assured that NLC leadership was making effort to ensure that members comply and join the strike today.
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