‘El-Rufai shunned us for 8 years’, Kaduna NLC hails Gov Sani

The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Kaduna state, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman, has hailed Governor Uba Sani for personally attending the May Day rally in Kaduna.

Speaking at Murtala Square, Kaduna, on Wednesday, Suleiman said the last time a governor personally attended the rally was nine years ago.

“Your Excellency, we want to thank you for personally attending the May Day Celebration. Labour has not witnessed the presence of a governor at such an occasion in the last nine years,” he said.

Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Sani’s predecessor, spent two terms of eight years as governor.

While commending the governor for prioritizing workers’ welfare through prompt payment of salaries and allowances, as well as involvement of the labour unions in decision making in the state, the NLC Chairman expressed hope that workers would enjoy favorable working conditions.

In his speech, the governor assured the workers of his support, saying development is about the people, just as governance is also about the people.

He said governors were working with NLC to come up with decent and acceptable pay for workers.

The Government under my leadership will continue to prioritize workers’ welfare and equip them appropriately within available resources, conscious of the fact that a committed and motivated workforce is critical to the achievement of our Rural Transformation Agenda. Human capital development and poverty reduction will continue to receive robust government attention through investment in education, health, agriculture, housing, micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as support to security agencies as they tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes.

“Nigerian Governors, under the platform of Nigeria Governors Forum, are in consultation with Labour Unions at the federal and state levels in order to come up with a decent and acceptable salary increase for state and local government workers. As a comrade and veteran of the struggle for better working conditions for Nigerian workers, I will not rest on my oars until we agree on a wage package that will put smiles on the faces of our workers.

“As we ramp up our Rural Transformation Drive and implement innovative programmes to reinvent our economy, we seek the cooperation and total commitment of Kaduna State workers. Increased productivity and sustained industrial harmony will help reposition our economy and put our government in good stead to frontally tackle our myriad security and developmental challenges.”