Strike: Ebonyi Workers Ignore Gov Nwifuru’s Directive To Resume Work

The directive by the Ebonyi State governor Francis Nwifuru for civil servants in the state to resume work or be sacked after a 72-hour deadline, yesterday, witnessed partial compliance as most offices remained locked.

When LEADERSHIP visited some of the state government offices within the state capital, it was observed that many offices at the state secretariat were locked except for the offices of government appointees and officials.

At the Ebonyi State Judicial Complex Abakaliki, the entrance gate was under lock and key, and a notice mandating the workers to stay away from their duty post was conspicuously posted at the gate.
When our correspondent visited Nnodo Secondary School, Presco Secondary School, Urban Secondary School, and Station Urban Primary School, among others, students and pupils were seen playing while others were seen in clusters discussing.

There was no presence of any school teacher in all the schools visited.

All banks, private schools, and other private organisations in the state defied the directive of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to join in the industrial action and opened for business across the state.

When LEADERSHIP visited some of the banks along Waterworks Road, Ogoja Road, and Afikpo Road, it observed that the bank staff were attending to customers while teachers in the different private schools in the state were also carrying out their first term examinations, which commenced last week.

Some of the students who spoke to LEADERSHIP expressed regret over the industrial action adding that it will draw them back in their concluding examination which had already started before the strike.

At the Cabinet Office, Old Government House, and the New Government House Abakaliki, staff of the various offices were seen carrying out their daily activities unmolested by the NLC team.

The NLC chairman, Comrade Oguguo Egwu said that the strike action will continue until the state government listens and pays the agreed minimum wage.

It would be recalled that the national secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress in a statement signed by it’s president, Comrade Joe Ajaero directed all the affiliates including those in the private sector to immediately join in the strike action in Ebonyi.

Ajaero also urged the workers already on strike not to yield to the threats of Governor Nwifuru but to sustain the momentum until the governor sees the need to not only behave properly but also pay the minimum wage in compliance with the law.