The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Thursday declared total war against the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige over the attack by suspected thugs on union members that protested in his private residence in Abuja on Wednesday.
The NLC said the actions of the Minister was a clear indication that he was not fit to occupy public office and should, therefore, not be reappointed by the government.
Igbere TV reports that the NLC in its resolution read by the President, Ayuba Wabba directed workers to attack the Minister and any member of his family anywhere they were sighted.
Briefing journalists at the Labour House, the organized labour said that instruction had been given to workers at airports to attack Ngige and members of his family when sighted, adding that the Minister had been reported to national and international Labour organizations.
Our correspondent at the press conference quoted Wabba as saying that Labour was mobilized for a national protest that will take place in Abuja on Monday next week.
“We are coming prepared for him. The fundamental right of people to protest and assemble is sacrosanct. The Minister tried to undermine the rights of workers. His son attacked the workers.
“Anywhere and everywhere himself or members of his family is seen by workers, even at the airport where we have our workers, he should be attacked.
“We have formally reported to security agencies and given them the Police and the DSS,” he said.
Wabba said the Minister has no right to change the appointment made by the President on the excuse that he never recommended Chief Frank Kokori to head the NSITF board, adding that the real reason he is opposed to Chief Kokori was because the veteran labour leader cannot be compromised.
He said since the Minister has been talking about the issue of corruption in the NSITF, the government should putt in place a judicial commission of enquiry to investigate the agency so as to unravel who the actual corrupt persons are.
Igbere TV recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had last month replaced Kokori with Austin Enajemo-Isire, a Chartered Accountant, professional Insurance Executive, and Banker.
When contacted by Igbere TV, the Minister denied the allegation that he sent thugs to attack workers at his house in Abuja, insisting that the protesters (NLC) were hooligans who he was going to sue for arson.
He alleged that Wabba led people to his private residence at 4:30am on Wednesday morning and blocked both the entrance to his house and that of his neigbour with two tankers laden with petrol.
He said the workers did not only succeed in traumatizing the occupants of both houses which included children, they also succeeded in preventing his neigbour and his wife from doing their business for the day as they were presented from leaving their home.
Ngige said he will not be blackmailed by the NLC, insistence that the ex-labour leader, Frank Kokori, be allowed to head the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
He accused the NLC president of equating himself to President Buhari because he answers president of NLC, and sees the NLC as the secondary arm of government.
He, has, therefore said there will be no further distractions on the NSITF board as a new date was going to be fixed immediately for inauguration.
