Politics
THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday drummed support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Kebbi State, Dr Nasiru Idris.
Mr Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President, made the call at the opening of a Central Working Committee (CWC)/National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Birnin Kebbi.
Wabba solicited for the cooperation and support of serving and retired workers as well as all other allied unions towards the success of Idris in the 2023 general elections.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NLC national leaders are in Kebbi State to show solidarity to one of their own who served in different capacities.
Idris had served as the state Chairman of NLC; state Chairman of National Union of Teachers (NUT); National Treasurer of NUT; Deputy President of NLC and National President of NUT, respectively.
He appreciated the people of Kebbi state, especially APC, for electing a unionist to be their flagbearer, adding that the entire management of NLC was in Birnin Kebbi to rejoice with the people for choosing one of their own.
The labour leader said: “I am not surprise, His Excellency was not in town when we came in, but because of the importance he attached to this programme he flew back to Kebbi to attend this programme.
“His Excellency has special regards for this programme because his father was a teacher and he himself was a teacher and he wants to hand over to a teacher.
“Let me use this medium to inform you that after our NEC meeting, by tommorow, serving and retired workers, market women, students and other allied unions will stage a rally here in Birnin Kebbi in support of one of our own.
“I want to call on all workers, both serving and retired, to use their hands, use their legs and use all their capacity to support your own to victory.”
Declaring the NEC opened, Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, commended the NLC leadership for honouring and choosing the state to hold their NEC meeting.
“I have to commend our APC gubernatorial candidate, Idris, who is among the people that truly know power comes from God, and we are proud of him as a dependable ally and candidate,” he said.
Bagudu thanked the NLC for their open support to Idris as their member of the union and gubernatorial candidate of APC in the state.
Earlier in a welcome address, the NLC Chairman in Kebbi State, Mr Umar Halidu, lauded Bagudu for being one of the first governors to approve N30,000 minimum wage for the state workers.
Halidu observed that both serving and retired workers do receive salaries and pension promptly, adding that backlog of gratuity had been cleared.
He appreciated the governor for his giant efforts to send indigenes of the state abroad to study different courses for the growth and development of not only the state but the nation at large.
The Acting Head of Service, Alhaji Safiyanu Bena, also appreciated the NLC for finding Kebbi worthy of hosting the NEC, while appealing to Nigerians to continue to contribute to existing harmonous relationship between labour and their employers (government) for the good of the nation.
He noted with satisfaction that all retired workers in both state and local government services were paid their gratuity up to December 2021.
On his part, the APC gubernatorial candidate said the declaration of support by the NLC executives to the APC under Bagudu’s leadership in the state was a testimony that the workers in the country had identified his unprecedented contributions to workers in the state.
“The history in my unionism sojourn would not have been completed without the indelible contribution of the governor, who I hold dearly.
“Bagudu is a role model to many gubernatorial candidates and governors in terms of prudent management and utilisation of resources.
“Despite the COVID-19 economic crunch and lockdown, the governor has been paying salaries of workers at all levels and pensions to retirees as well as their gratuities,” he noted. (NAN)
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Tags: Ayuba Wabba Dr Nasiru Idris Gov. Atiku Bagudu NLC Umar Halidu
