Protesting Teachers, Striking LGA Workers Hold Minister, Mrs. Tallen Hostage For Hours In Mangu LGA

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Yakubu Busari

A serving Minister under President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister for Women Affairs, Hon, Mrs, Pauline Tallen has been held hostage for more than two hours in Mangu Local Government Council striking workers over the new minimum wage.

 

The workers’ strike has spent two days of protest were the revolt blocking the state main roads with several placards, ready to continue with their peaceful exercise if the government fail to meet up their demand within the period.

 

The aggrieved workers on Thursday blocked the major road linking the people of Plateau’s southern senatorial district as the minister landed in a chopper at Haipang Airport heading to Shendam LGA for the final campaign ahead 5th Saturday scheduled senatorial bye-election.

 

The minister Mrs. Tallen convoyed and was held hostage for several hours with an appeal to workers to allow her to pass proved abortive, she resulted in calling for intervention from the National Auditor, Comrade Ayuba Shamdung Jepla who intervened.

 

 

However, the striking workers remain adamant to her plead for them to allow the minister and her entourage to pass the headquarters of LGAs.

 

The minister solicited the cooperation of the workers by commending their resilience and commitment to duty, even though she urged the protesting workers not to allow criminal elements to hijacked their peaceful protest.

 

 

She appealed for calm from the workers, saying the dwindling economy had cripple and affected the affairs of governance, saying this should have been taken care of by the Lalong government long ago but due to recession which allow the whole exercise to escalated to this level.

 

Meanwhile, the National Auditor Comrade Shamdung Ayuba quickly came to the rescue of the situation by appealing to the striking workers to allow the minister to pass, as the unions are working towards addressing their plight.

 

According to him, as a Union leader, we are so sad with the poor conditions of the workers with the increase of prices of foodstuffs in the market today, we also believe the government would give us a listening ear to tackle the high rate of living.

 

Ayuba lamented that over 9 years they have been collecting half salary so these workers are suffering and are living under deplorable conditions so he called for urgent intervention.

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