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PROTESTS OVER SACKED TEACHERS: NLC draws battle line with Gov El’Rufai, Police

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PROTESTS OVER SACKED TEACHERS: NLC draws battle line with Gov El’Rufai, Police

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to go ahead with its planned protest in Kaduna State despite an order by the state Police Command, and Governor Nasir El-Rufai that the organised labour should stay away from the state.

NLC had made known its plans to stage a solidarity rally in Kaduna State this Thursday in support of the state council, which currently has embarked on an indefinite strike to protest the sacking of over 21,000 primary school teachers.

But in separate press briefings in Kaduna State on Wednesday, the state Commissioner of Police, Agyole Abeh, and El Rufai, warned against any protest as proposed by the labour union, against the backdrop of current security issues in the state.

El-Rufai, who addressed newsmen through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, alleged that the planned protest by NLC was nothing but the union’s leadership pursuit of personal agenda to the detriment of Kaduna State.

“The last time the NLC and NUT organised what they called a peaceful rally, they attacked the Kaduna State House of Assembly and destroyed public property in addition to engaging in unlawful assembly and other violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna State.

‘’The Attorney-General of Kaduna State has filed criminal complaints and has obtained bench warrants for the arrest of those involved in fomenting the chaos of Wednesday, 8th November 2017. Government is committed to protecting the lives, property and livelihoods of the citizens of Kaduna State, and will take firm and decisive actions against any persons or group that seek to undermine this.”

The state Commissioner of Police, Abeh, like El-Rufai, warned against the planned protest, saying that NLC leadership should rather dialogue with any authority it has disputes with, rather than staging a protest.

He went further to add that the present law of the state prohibits all forms of public protests.

But in its response, NLC in a statement entitled, “No stopping us now,” vowed to go ahead with its planned protest in the state.

The NLC alleged in the statement signed by its national president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, that it has been reliably informed that El-Rufai had mobilised thugs to disrupt its Thursday peaceful protest.

“We also have information that the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State Command has said all protests in the state remain banned. We do not think he has such powers. Moreover, it would run against the grain of fair-play and proper policing if the commissioner will be selective in which protests he allows because only recently, the governor himself organised two protests in support of his policies in the state.

“We do hope the statement credited to the commissioner is not true. We also do hope he does not condition his officers and men to allow their services to be procured in furtherance of a sinister agenda. We not only warn against these desperate tactics, we feel duty-bound to draw the attention of the relevant authorities and the generality of Nigerians to the grave dangers these portend.

“Peaceful protest is a form of expression validated or legitimised by our national constitution, ILO Conventions and our Labour Laws and no governor, no matter how executive, should abridge this legitimacy!

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“We at the Nigeria Labour Congress, and indeed, all law-abiding citizens consider any attempt to circumvent the Law by any citizen, no matter how highly-placed as an affront to our history of popular struggle and democratic values.

“We wish to use this opportunity to let the Governor and his cohorts know that our members from across the country are fully mobilised in Kaduna, and nothing, absolutely nothing, will stop them from peacefully protesting against his mindless policies on Thursday, November 11, 2018.

“We also wish to let the world know that he has made this peaceful protest inevitable by his refusal to fully submit himself to the conciliation process by the Federal Ministry of Labour. We are in a democracy governed by the rule of law and not the caprice of a vindictive mind out to satisfy only the whims of the World Bank and the IMF.

“Finally, we also wish to call upon the Inspector General of Police and the leaderships of other relevant security agencies to caution their officers and men against betraying their oath of office by accepting to do a dirty job.

“Today, it is about 36,000 Kaduna State workers thrown out of work for no just cause. Tomorrow, it could be anybody. We are committed to a peaceful protest. No stopping us now.”

 

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