May Day: Pay Disengaged Kaduna Civil Servants Their Benefits To Reduce Hardship, Deaths – NLC Tells el-Rufai
BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in Kaduna State, Comrade Ayuba Magaji Suleiman, has canvased for the payment of benefits of disengaged civil servants in the state.
This is just as the NLC Chairman noted that the security challenges especially along the Kaduna – Abuja road, Birnin Gwari and Kajuru posed serious threat to the safety of the workers and businesses as well as the citizenry in the state thus called for concerted efforts towards finding lasting peace.
Suleiman said that in the alternative, Governor Nasir el-Rufai, whose administration disengaged the suffering former civil servants, should revisit their cases while those that cannot be reabsorbed should be paid their entitlements to cushion their sufferings without further delay.
Suleiman said the appeal became necessary owing to what the affected workers are going through which he noted has led to serious economic and social consequences with unreserved complications, including death.
Speaking on the occasion of the Workers’ Day celebration in Kaduna on Wednesday, Suleiman said; “On a similar note, we appeal for the payment of benefits to those that cannot be re-absorbed without further delay.
“The need to intervene in the lingering crisis of New Nigerian Newspapers Limited by the Northern Governors is equally important so as to make the company resume normal production considering its importance to the region and the country at large.”
While saying that the welfare of Kaduna workers is paramount to the labour movement, he recommended the reactivation of Micro Credit Scheme for Civil Servants in the state.
Suleiman commended the federal and Kaduna state governments on their efforts to diversify the nation’s economy through the development of the agricultural sector which he said has already started yielding results with the coming of investors like Olams.
In his address, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kaduna State Council, Comrade Shehu Mohammed, said the May Day celebration is an opportunity to X–ray the contribution of the working class to national development.
He said the day provides a space to review the conditions of service in order to be in line with the complex process of national development and the rate of unemployment which has remain high with an alarming proportion of youth joblessness.
