Ngige’s ‘thugs’ beat up protesting NLC members

A protest by members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against the Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige on Wednesday turned bloody as suspected hoodlums attacked the workers at the minister’s house in Asokoro Abuja.

The workers were protesting the failure of the Minister to inaugurate the board of National Social Insurance Trust Fund with Frank Kokori as the chairman.

The workers were reportedly shot at, while some of them who sustained injuries had been taken to the National Hospital in Abuja for treatment.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, threatened a national protest against Ngige’s action except the President intervenes.

He said, “The act today is barbaric; where maximum force has been used on workers. And live bullets have been used on them. Whereas workers went with bare hands but you have seen what has happened.

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“They were carrying weapons and arms. And as I talk to you, we have four people in the hospital apart from those that were injured by bullets. You can see all of them are here and clearly we are going to invite our largest organ by tomorrow.

“We are also going on a larger scale of action. Instead of protecting us, he is against us. Therefore we have nothing to do with him and under the circumstance, except the president intervenes, workers are going to down tool.

“That is why we are inciting our central working committee. It has never been so bad where the ministry of Labour will bring thugs to attack workers. That has never been heard of”.

“It is on record and everybody has seen. Clearly, that is our position and now we are here to demonstrate in his office also that we are not happy and Mr president must act on this immediately. Workers voted and supported him. Ngige cannot in any circumstance assume the power of the president. That cannot be the case.’’

By Babatunde Alao…

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