Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State was last Tuesday jeered by thousands of state workers after he made an unexpected appearance at a labor rally at Aloma Junction in Awka, the state capital. A source within the Obi administration described the governor’s appearance as “ill-advised,” adding that some advisors had advised him against going.
Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State was last Tuesday jeered by thousands of state workers after he made an unexpected appearance at a labor rally at Aloma Junction in Awka, the state capital. A source within the Obi administration described the governor’s appearance as “ill-advised,” adding that some advisors had advised him against going.
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Mr. Obi derided with songs that called him “419” and “well-trained thief,” according to eyewitnesses.
Our sources said the leadership of the state’s trade unions had called the rally to hear workers’ opinions on Governor Obi’s proposal on the new minimum wage. Labor leaders told SaharaReporters that the governor’s proposals fell far short of what other states had negotiated with their workers, citing the case of neighboring Ebonyi. They stated that Mr. Obi’s plan is to basically raise the salaries of workers on salary scales 1 to 7, while adding little to those on higher grade levels.
“The governor’s salary table is proposing a salary of 141,000 naira for an officer on Level 16, but other states are proposing N254,000 for that level,” said a labor leader in the state, accusing Mr. Obi of being “insensitive and indifferent to the plight of workers.”
The labor leaders disclosed that, despite their dissatisfaction with the governor’s salary tables, they decided to call a meeting of all workers to discuss the matter. The workers were in the middle of the deliberations when the governor drove in.
“We did not invite the governor Obi to come and address us,” said a labor leader, adding that they were surprised when he showed up accompanied by several commissioners and a team of more than forty police officers.
Not only did Mr. Obi appear, he addressed the workers in his usual rambling style, telling them that his table of salaries contains what the state can afford to pay. Two labor leaders who spoke to us said the workers felt disrespected when the governor made for his car after his long speech. “He didn’t even wait to hear our response to his proposal or his speech,” said one leader.
In a spontaneous reaction, the workers greeted Mr. Obi with a derisive song. Part of the song, which has become an anthem in Anambra, goes: “Ikwusigo, inabago, 419/ Ezigbo onye ori azulu azu k’ibu, 419” – which translates as, “Have you finished speaking, are you leaving, 419/ A well-trained thief is who you are, 419.”
An official of the state government told SaharaReporters that the governor was to blame for what happened to him. “Some of us told him it was inappropriate to gatecrash a rally of workers without invitation, but he stubbornly went there.”
The official revealed that the rally was the first time a huge crowd in Anambra sang such a song to the face of a serving governor. He noted that Anambra indigenes used to sing against former Governor Clement Chinwoke Mbadinuju, but that Mr. Mbadinuju was never present.
In another development, labor leaders in Anambra said they want Governor Obi to disclose how much Anambra receives every month from internally generated revenues. “Can you believe that there is no public record of our internally generated revenue?” said one labor leader. “Only Governor Obi, his commissioner for finance and his uncle, Nwobu Alor, know how much we generate internally and where the money goes,” said another labor leader.
Meanwhile, Governor Obi has ordered state workers to call off their strike, warning that he would invoke no work, no pay.
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