Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai has said that he will set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the recent warning strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in the state.
He vowed to all those found guilty by the commission would be prosecuted .
He said the strike was illegal and it subjected the people hardship and losses.
Featuring in a media chat owith Hausa local radio stations in Kaduna on Thursday night, El-Rufai, accused the NLC also accused the police for providing a cover for the NLC to break the law, adding that the federal government also failed to prosecute who broke the law.
El-Rufai maintained that the reasons given by the NLC for the strike, were false.
The NLC, led by its president, Dr. Ayuba Wabba, had on May 17, 2021, embarked on a five day warning strike in protest against the sacking of workers in the state.
The strike was however suspended on the May 19, following the intervention of the federal government which summoned NLC and the Kaduna state government to Abuja for dialogue.
A committee comprising both parties was set up at the end of the meeting to resolve the issues.
But speaking during the radio programme, El-Rufai said all the reasons given by the NLC for the strike were false, insisting that his administration did not sack workers.
“The NLC said were protesting against the sacking of workers, but we didn’t sack workers. All the reasons they gave for their strike were false. Some of them said we sacked 4000 workers, some even said we sacked 70,000. Our total work force is 32,000.
“There are 38,000 school teachers and they are not our staff, they are local government staff.
The NLC came with lies,” he said
According to him, “the NLC came to Kaduna for politics, they paid them, they collected the money and spent it. They broke our laws, they broke the laws guiding protest.
“If there is a problem between employees and employers, there are procedures prescribed by law to be followed before embarking on strike. Strike is the last resort after following laid down rules.
He said further that “there is a law in Nigeria which prohibits switching off electricity or water which will cause hardship to people.”
According to him, some people who switched off electricity supply during the military administration of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), were jailed for about 20 years.
El-Rufai said, “Since that time, nobody had switched off electricity in Nigeria until they came and did it in Kaduna.
“This is a violation of the law, those who did it were supposed to be arrested and prosecuted, but the federal government kept silence.
“After the NLC and federal government realised that Kaduna people will deal with the the NLC, they now said we should come to Abuja for dialogue…”
The governor said, “The federal government allowed some irresponsible people to cause hardship to our people.
“I swear we will pursue them because they violated the laws of the land, if Abuja (federal government), will not prosecute them, the Kaduna state government will prosecute them.
“We have traders who suffered loses and we have asked them to enumerate their loses and bring them, we will go to court and ensure justice to all of them”
He said, “Very soon, the Kaduna state government will set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the role played by everybody during the protest .
“There is no law that says you should stop somebody who wants to go to work.
“I swear, let them come back!.. Let them come back and see. Since it is the police that is providing cover for them to go and lock people’s places of work and break the law.
“We will not allow the people of Kaduna to be subjected to that again, we can protect ourselves.
“If people that are being paid to protect the people of Kaduna failed, I swear the Kaduna state government will protect its citizens.
Let them come back and see, we are prepared for them.
We will investigate, those who helped them in carrying out the protest and subjected our people to hardship, they will be prosecuted.
“Whether they are Kaduna state civil servants or federal civil servants, the will face wrath of Kaduna state laws. We will prosecute them.
“When the commission of inquiry finished it’s assignment and we get the names of all those involved and their roles, we will prosecute them.
“Let NLC go and collect money again and come to Kaduna, I swear, we are waiting for them…We know those who paid them and we are waiting for them.”
