Adamawa Workers Sealed-up Government House For Hours

Dan Garba

Aggrieved Adamawa state workers under the aegis of Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Tuesday locked the gates of the Government House to protest nonpayment of salaries and other entitlements to its staff.

The protest which led to the closure of the main gates to the seat of government for hours caused panic within the government house and its environs as staffers and visitors were locked out for the period of protest which lasted for hours.

The angry workers, who chanted solidarity songs with inscriptions, such as Remove all anti -Labour government functionaries; Remove them now or else and stop using security to intimidate us among others.

The protesters particularly demanded for the removal of the Executive chairman, Adamawa state Health care Development Agency, Dr. Abdullahi Dauda Belel, General Manager, Adamawa Transport Company Limited, Engineer Ahmad Umar Nyako and Chairman Adamawa state post primary schools management Board, Alhaji Abdullahi Jingi.

Addressing the workers at the gate of the government House, state chairman of the NLC, Comrade Dauda Maina stated that the workers resorted to the protest after all avenues to resolve pressing issues that affects the workers were not addressed.

Maina said that the workers have tolerated the three heads of parastatals for a long time due to their lukewarm attitude to workers in their respective organizations.

The NLC chairman maintained that the keeping of the three executive officers have led to backlog of unpaid salaries and arrears, some up to eight months running and above.

The secretary to the state government, Dr. Umar Bindir later addressed the protesters and pleaded with them to give peace a chance, promising them that their grievances will be addressed as soon as the Governor returns to the state from his official trip to Abuja.

Reacting to the call for his removal, the chairman of Adamawa state Health care Development Agency, Dr. Abdullahi Belel stated that, the backlog of salary arrears in his department followed low level of subvention to it from the state government.

Adamawa state commissioner for information and strategy, comrade Ahmad Sajoh who had earlier attempted to address the protesting workers was booed and rejected as they demanded for higher top government functionary to address them.The General Manager of Adamawa Transport Company and chairman of the post primary schools management Board could not be reached for their comments.