By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – May Day celebration in Abuja and other parts of the country was hijacked by angry worker who protest for increase in minimum wage and against unpaid salaries.
At Eagle Square in Abuja, the venue of the Workers’ Day celebration, the Minister of Labour , Dr Chris Ngige was prevented from delivering his speech as angry workers threw water cans at the government delegation led by the Minister. It took the intervention of police with armored cars, to disperse the angry workers as they were approaching the podium.
According to Per Second News, Ngige had declined to address the crowd in his capacity as the minister and sent the permanent secretary because he (Ngige) represented President Muhhammadu Buhari at the occasion.
But the workers chorused “no, no, no’’ to the move and thereafter continue to chant, “minimum wage, minimum wage.’’
The incident disrupted the May Day celebration for more than five minutes.
As the workers surged toward the podium to protest the move, Ngige and top officials of the labour union had to step in to calm them.
The crowd thereafter shouted “we don win, we don win’’ as the permanent secretary stepped down from the podium and walked into state box.
It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the incident.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), demanded a review of pension to a minimum of N25,000, per month, in Sokoto State, as against the four thousand naira being paid for the past twelve years.
The organised labour in Kogi State, cancelled the celebration of this year’s May Day in the state in protest over the non-payment of workers’ salaries and monthly pensions of retirees.
According to a statement jointly signed by the state Chairman of the NLC, Onu Edoka, and his TUC counterpart, Ranti Ojo, the decision was taken in solidarity with the affected workers and pensioners.
The unions argued that the non-payment of salary to a large number of workers and pensioners over the past 14 months has destroyed the civil service and the workforce of the state.
They also expressed concern over the increasing hardship being faced by workers and pensioners affected by outcome of the screening exercise conducted by the state government.
“The non-payment of salary and pension, has led to the loss of lives and also brought untold hardship to workers in Kogi State,” the statement said.
They unions also decried the refusal by government to make available to the organised labour, copy of the report of the screening appeal committee, describing the measure as a deliberate move to prevent the labour from taking a position.
“In the face of all these negative happenings, it is therefore advisable for workers not to make themselves available for any act of molestation, harassment and intimidation by any security agency,” the unions said.
Sundiata Post recalls that some of the workers interviewed by Channels Television criticized the present labour leadership whom they accused of being docile to the plights of workers in Nigeria.