NLC raises concern over Kogi leadership crisis

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) says it is  appalled by the political  developments in the Kogi State House of Assembly  “where the speaker, Honourable Alfa Imam was forced out and a more compliant one installed.” A statement issued by the NLC President Ayuba Wabba at the weekend stated that “the offence of the former Speaker […]

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) says it is  appalled by the political  developments in the Kogi State House of Assembly  “where the speaker, Honourable Alfa Imam was forced out and a more compliant one installed.”

A statement issued by the NLC President Ayuba Wabba at the weekend stated that “the offence of the former Speaker was that he had initiated a legislative process to look into the disbursements of the Paris Club refund following non-payment of salaries and pensions and the industrial tensions in its aftermath.”

“But the former Speaker was lucky to have gotten off “lightly” as the House Member who moved the motion for this process ended up in Plaster of Paris (POP) courtesy of the thugs dispatched to disrupt the House proceedings,” he added.

Wabba noted that the Kogi State mess represents the height of intolerance, impunity, dictatorship and anarchy and should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians even as he called on the Federal Government to salvage the situation before it spins out of control.

“We call on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, commence investigations into the disbursements of bail-out funds (50% percent of which it had directed should be applied to payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities); continuous non-payment of salaries and pensions; endless staff audit which has become a convenient alibi for owing salaries and pensions.

“We also believe that the Federal Government should be concerned that the state-contrived industrial disharmony in the state is slowly but steadily degenerating into a political crisis as exemplified by the clamp down on ASUU and the state-sponsored violence in the House of Assembly and other acts of witch-hunt in the State’s socio-political space,” he said.

The NLC president stressed that the crisis in Kogi State is a threat to democracy and should not be condoned.