Labour Movement in Kwara Stages Protest Over Killings in Nassarawa, Non-Payment of Backlog of Salaries

By Hammed Shittu

Stakeholders of labour movements in Kwara State, comprising NLC,TUC, NULGE, and NUT on Tuesday staged a peaceful mass protest across the major streets of Ilorin,the state capital, over the killing of two labour leaders in Nassarawa state and non-payment of the backlog of salaries of some categories of workers by the incumbent administration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

Among the workers being owed salaries by the  state government are workers in the 16 local government councils, those in the state-owmed tertiary institutions like College of Arabic and Legal Studies, Ilorin, colleges of education in Ilorin and Oro, the primary school teachers, staff of State  Universal Education Board and pensioners in the state.

The protesters, in their large numbers, effectively guided on the streets  by truck-loads of anti-riot mobile and regular police officers in order not to be hijacked by hoodlums, put on black T-shirts as they went round the  popular streets.

Among them are Muritala Mohammed road, Post office areas, then Unity enroute Taiwo road, Offa garage area and later to the Government House located along  Ahmadu Bello way where they were received by the governor’s representatives, the SSG Alhaji  Isiaka Gold who received their letters of protest.

The spokesman of the protesters, the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Yekeen Agunbiade who said the protest was in strict compliance with the directive of the national leadership of NLC stressed that the protest was meant to draw the attention of people of the state to the plight of civil servants in the  state.

Agunbiade who berated the security operatives for killing civil servants in Nasarawa State while demanding for their legitimate rights,called for adequate compensation for the families of the victims so that the death of their bread winner will not be in vain,and also called on the appropriate authorities to investigate and ensure that perpetrators of the acts are made to face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to others.