Gov El-Rufai fights back, issues warrant of arrest on Wabba, other NLC leaders

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Tuesday declared counter war with the Organised Labour, issuing warrant of arrest on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, and other labour leaders coordinating the five-day warning strike in the state. The Kaduna State government, accordingly, declared them wanted.

Governor Nasir Elrufai on his verified Twitter handle @elrufai stated on Tuesday morning that the NLC President and others labour leaders are declared wanted for economic sabotage and attacks on public infrastructure in Kaduna State under the Miscellaneous Offences Act. The governor issued directive that anyone that knows the whereabouts of the NLC President should contact the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice, adding that the person providing the information will be handsomely rewarded.

The NLC president, Wabba, called out workers in Kaduna State on Monday for a five-day warning strike over the retrenchment of over 7,000 civil servants in the state and local governments by Governor El-Rufai.

The Monday mass action caused power outage, shut down of the airport, and restriction of fuel distribution and sales in the state.

Aviation workers shut down operations of Kaduna International Airport (KIA) to show their solidarity. The National Union of Petroleum Employees of Nigeria (NUPENG), National Union of Electricity Employees of Nigeria (NUEE), National Union of Textile, Tailoring and Garment Workers of Nigeria also called out their workers to join the strike.

The Head of Service in Kaduna State, Baritu Mohammed, had in a media interaction on Monday argued that the NLC is sabotaging economic activities in Kaduna, saying the protest was no more industrial action.

Mohammed gad declared: “What is happening now in Kaduna is not an industrial action but a campaign of social and economic sabotage. Kaduna State government is functioning despite illegal attempts to lock our offices, hospitals, and schools. The schools are opened, our offices and hospitals are opened.

“NLC is aware that inflicting pain on citizens, locking hospitals and public institutions, shutting down electricity will not change or affect the decision of Kaduna State government.”

Subsequently, Kaduna State government in a tweet on Monday counter-protested: “Some unlawful actions by the NLC: shutting down electricity, coercion and restraints of personal freedom, trespass into public facilities and denial of access to healthcare for several of our citizens. They closed several hospitals and chased away the patients.

“General hospitals in Kawo, Tudun-Wada, Kafanchan, Giwa, Rigasa, Kakuri and Sabon Tasha were illegally locked. They also shut rural hospitals and primary health centres in Kwoi, Turunku and other locations across the state.”

The Monday strike which continued on Tuesday obviously paralyzed business activities in Kaduna which the state government has been gaining over.