President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba on Tuesday defied the directive of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, daring the Governor to arrest him, having declared him wanted.
The NLC led by Wabba had commenced on a five-day warning strike against the decision of the Governor to sack the workers in Kaduna.
The five-day warning strike called by the NLC in Kaduna State kicked off Monday morning, with officials of the union picketing government ministries and parastatals and denying civil servants access to the state secretariat.
The civil servants, in their hundreds, stormed the streets of Kaduna. The protest started at the gate of the state secretariat on the popular Independence Way.
They also marched from the state secretariat to the state House of Assembly complex before retiring at the Labour office in Kaduna.
While pressing home their demands, the aggrieved worker and their leaders displayed placards with inscriptions as ‘El-Rufai: enough is enough’, ‘Respect our rights to decent living’, ‘Accidental public servant: don’t casualise and destroy Kaduna Civil Service’, ‘We demand immediate release of the NUT check-off dues’, ‘We say no to the sacking of workers in Kaduna’, ‘Kaduna govt must rescue the abducted two nurses’, among others.
However, the state government described the action of the NLC as illegal, stating that the NLC is trying to sabotage the efforts of the Governor.
Gov. El-Rufai took to his official Twitter handle to declare the NLC President wanted by the state government.
According to El-rufai, the Wabba-led NLC displayed some unlawful actions.
The Governor tweeted, “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!”
However, on Tuesday, Wabba, ignored El-Rufai to stage another protest, leading the union from the NLC Secretariat at Golf Course Road to NEPA Roundabout on Ahmadu Bello Way through Independence Way to Muhammadu Buhari Way.
Speaking at the protest, he was quoted to have dared the Governor saying that he is not afraid of being arrested or placed on a wanted list.
“Let him come and arrest me. We are here and waiting for them,” the NLC President was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the protest was disrupted at NEPA Roundabout by some armed hoodlums.
It was gathered that the hoodlums stormed the protest ground with machetes, sticks and other dangerous weapons to attacked the unionists.
The Police and other security agencies were however able to repel the attack by the hoodlums as the protesters retreated to their secretariat.
