From El-Yakub Dabai, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Murtala Usman and his Deputy, Comrade Kilani Abdulwaliyu, were conspicuously missing at the nationwide mass protest organised by the NLC/TUC on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi.
The nationwide protest was to express the concern of non implementation of the 16 points agreement reached between NLC and the federal government against the current hardship experienced by Nigerians.
The protest conducted by various trade unions in the state was peaceful and under tight security, recorded high turn out of workers as a result of the current hardship threatening the lives of the people in the state.
Presenting a letter to the state Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Abubakar, NLC Vice Chairman, Comrade Aliyu Abubakar Udu, stated that despite the wide spread of hunger in the country, inflation continued because of the devaluation of the Naira, yet the salary of workers remained static, making the lives of the citizens missarable and unable to feed.
Comrde Udu demanded the state government to ensure implementation of 30,000 naira minimum wage, provision of job opportunities through industrialization, payment of witheld salaries and the release of additional pallatives to the people of the state to address the lingering hunger in the society.
Responding, the State Deputy Governor, Senator Umar Abubakar, assured the Labour leaders that, the government would look into their grievances presented especially that the state chief Executive was a Labour leader and labour friendly Governor.
While commending the organised labour for the peaceful protest, the Deputy Governor said the present hardship was a global issue but government was doing everything possible to find a lasting solutions to the problems.
