A former deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Wednesday, berated the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over the impasse between him and the organised labour following the sacking of workers in the State.
The lawmaker, who condemned the invasion of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Secretariat in Kaduna by thugs suspected to have been hired, also disclosed that the leadership of the national assembly would engage him in order to settle the imbroglio that has paralysed economic activities in the State.
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Daily Trust reports that armed thugs numbering about 100 early hours on Wednesday invaded the premises of the NLC in Kaduna State, which is the meeting point of protesters partaking in the 5-day warning strike.
But Ekweremadu, while reacting to the invasion while fielding questions from journalists shortly after a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), in Abuja, on Wednesday, said El-Rufai should not have allowed the issue to degenerate into that level.
According to him, the governor was supposed to have negotiated before now, saying the labour leaders should reinforce their members across the country in order to achieve their aims and resist the thugs sent after them who are hell-bent on disrupting their peaceful protest.
He said, “I’m not just a legislator, I’m also a lawyer.
“So, I believe in the freedom of expression, I believe in freedom of assembly, I believe in constructive engagements and I believe in the respectable airing of opinions.
“So, I expect that the government of Kaduna State should be able to engage the labour unions constructively.
“Now that it is turning violent, this is the time for other associated labour unions to get involved to show solidarity to the labour people in Kaduna such that the government will now be forced to engage labour in a manner that is constructive.
“Sending thugs to start harassing labour unions’ leaders and their members is completely unacceptable.
“It shows that we are not actually in the 21st century.
“As leaders, sometimes we have to take responsibilities, we also have to show restraint in the face of provocation, that is what leadership is all about.
“We should not be behaving like thugs or sending thugs to go and dispatch people who are protesting, especially when it is not violent.
“So, the national assembly will continue to support the free expressions of ideas and views in this country including labour organisations as long as labour itself tries as much as possible to be responsible.
“I believe that the leadership of the national assembly is also going to engage the government of Kaduna State to ensure that this thing is contained.
“I’m happy that everybody is talking about it. I understand that the federal government is intervening presently.”
El-Rufai had on Wednesday threatened to deal with Wabba and other labour leaders for paralysing the economy of the State through their actions, saying they are “criminals” and they would be treated as such.
The governor, while addressing the 23rd Annual Tax Conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Kaduna, vowed that Wabba and other labour leaders will never return to Kaduna by the time his government is done with them.
