- Confusion As Umahi responds, orders his boys to also lock out the Protesting Workers!
By Louis Achi
Tension and confusion reigned, Thursday, as workers were locked out by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi at the ministry’s headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.
The minister was said to have prevented workers who came to work late from gaining access to the ministry.
However, after the gate was opened, the workers, comprising the Housing and Works Ministry, who commenced protests refused to enter into the ministry.
Instead, the angry protesting workers locked the minister inside his office on Thursday morning and occupied the entrance gate.
The protesting staff, also union members comprising the Housing and Works Ministry, decided to lock up the ministry.
They blocked entry and exit into the building thereby preventing the minister from leaving the office premises.
The workers also claimed that the Works Minister stopped engineers and directors from doing their work, and has been breaking public service rules since his appointment, by bringing in consultants to run the affairs of the ministry.
The protesting staff were chanting “Umahi Must Go”, and lamented that they reside far away and there was no way they could come to the office early.
A union official, Williams Kudi, told AIT that the minister has refused to grant them an audience to express their concerns.
