Comrade Ayuba Wabba, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has been declared wanted, according to Malam Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State.
Wabba was last seen publicly in Kaduna where he led members of NLC on a protest against policies of El-Rufai’s administration.
NLC had led members of affiliate unions on a protest that crippled economic activities in Kaduna.
Banks, hospital, train station, airport were shut while the state was plunged into darkness as electricity workers also joined the mass action.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the Kaduna governor said NLC leaders had been declared wanted for economic sabotage and attacks on public infrastructure.
“KADUNA UPDATE: Ayuba Wabba & others of
@NLCHeadquarters declared wanted for economic sabotage & attacks on public infrastructure under Miscellaneous Offences Act. Anyone that knows where he is hiding should send a message to
@MOJKaduna KDSG. There will be a handsome reward!
KADUNA UPDATE: Ayuba Wabba & others of @NLCHeadquarters declared wanted for economic sabotage & attacks on public infrastructure under Miscellaneous Offences Act. Anyone that knows where he is hiding should send a message to @MOJKaduna. KDSG. There will be a handsome reward!
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) May 18, 2021
Addressing members of the unions at the NLC secretariat on Monday, Wabba emphasised that the organised labour would not back down until the demands are acceded to by the governor.
“The decision has been communicated to all security agencies of the government. It is the beginning of the struggle of labour and we hope our politicians will cooperate with us to ensure we protect our democracy by delivering its dividends to the citizens including workers.”
“Organised labour is in Kaduna to tell the world the truth of what the workers, pensioners, students and other citizens in the state are going through besides the lies being peddled by media platforms on El-Rufai’s payroll.
“The situation of the workers in the state is so pathetic that thousands of them have been laid off from their sources of livelihood without the state government making any effort to pay them their entitlements.
“Worst still, El-Rufai has gone further to increase school fees in public state school thereby making the children of those sacked from their working place without payment to become dropouts.
“It is only Kaduna State out of the other states in the country that throws workers out of their jobs without any regards for the labour law and that is why we are here.”
