“In any case, he has abandoned his office and has been operating from his house. The house has been his second office for some time now and he has been avoiding any place where he will come in contact with us.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged workers in the nation’s airports and those in the 163 countries that are members of the International Trade Union Confederation to embarrass the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and members of his family.
Speaking with journalists, the national president of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, said Ngige's use of thugs against harmless protesters shows he against the union.
Wanna said: ”He is not fit to be a minister. He has no reason to be called minister of labour. He is a lord of his own and therefore instead of protecting us, he is against us.
"Therefore we have nothing to do with him under the circumstance.
“NLC has sent messages to all workers in the 163 countries who are members of the ITUC to embarrass the minister and members of his family anywhere they are seen, especially at airports where workers operates.
“The real reason he is opposed to Chief Kokori was because the veteran labour leader cannot be compromised. Since the minister has been talking about the issue of corruption in the NSITF, the government should put in place a judicial commission of enquiry to investigate the agency so as to unravel who the actual corrupt persons are.
"Who are the actual corrupt people in NSITF? Is it the board that has not been inaugurated or it is the minister?”
“In any case, he has abandoned his office and has been operating from his house. The house has been his second office for some time now and he has been avoiding any place where he will come in contact with us.”
Mr Wabba said the money in NSITF belongs to workers because it is a contribution of employers to take care of the social needs of their workers.
“That is the only reason why Labour and NECA have two members each, on the Board. Even the ministry of labour has only one member. So, we are demanding that the Board, headed by Kokori, be inaugurated and all the thugs who attacked us in the full glare of security agents be investigated and prosecuted,” he said.