NLC strike cripples Kaduna, Airport shut down, fuel stations restricted

The five days warning strike of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Kaduna which commenced on Monday has crippled economic activities in the state. Aviation workers, showing solidarity for the NLC protest, shut down operations at the Kaduna International Airport (KIA) with effect from Sunday midnight. Also, other aviation workers, who are members of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), supported the closure of the airport, insisting that the airport would shut for the duration of the warning strike in the state.

The organized labour is protesting the sack of over 7,000 civil servants in Kaduna State civil service, including the local governments by Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

NLC National Chairman, Ayuba Wabba, at the protest venue on Monday argued that due process was not followed by the state government in the sack of the workers from the Local Government Service, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Primary Health Care Agency. The NLC Chairman declared that all the trade unions, including Student Unions and pensioners are involved in the protest, noting that they are all directly affected by the sack of the workers.

Wabba had declared: “All those that are here today are those that are directly affected. The students are here. The children of those workers that have been thrown out of their job and were not being paid, they are here with us.

“The pensioners that were not being paid are here with us. They claim that local government employees were consulted. The Local Government Employees are here today, they have issued a statement to say that statement was false.

“All leadership of public sector unions are here.

“It is only Kaduna State of all the 36 states of the Federation that threw workers out of their jobs without payment.”

The affiliate unions participating in the strike include 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.

Kaduna State is at high risk of being thrown into long hours of darkness during the strike.