…Yobe, Kebbi, Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto Bauchi , Adamawa, others join strike

From Uche Uche Damaturu, Ahmed Idris

Birnin Kebbi, Mikail Tsoho Dutse, Lawal Sa’idu Funtua Katsina and Umar Dankano Yola As the strike action declared by the NLC kicked off yesterday in states of the federation, Yobe state chapter was not left behind as the state chairman directed heads of all affiliates of the union to join the strike action.
When our reporter went round as from 10:30 am, yesterday to monitor the compliance of workers in the state, things were not really what it used to be before as many offices were found locked, although skeletal activities were going on in some places.
When contacted on the issue, chairman of labour in the state, Comrade Lawan M. Ibrahim told our reporter that workers in the state are in total support of the strike action without any reservation because, as he pointed out, it is an issue that affects worker interest and benefits.
“The position of Yobe workers is like other workers in the country because, this issue is a general issue that affects every civil servant either directly or indirectly.. so we are in total compliance with this directive on national strike,” he said.
In Bauchi State, government offices, as well as shops, economic and transportation activities, were disrupted.
Bauchi State NLC Chairman, Comrade Hashimu Gital told the media yesterday that, the strike followed federal government insensitivity to the plights of Nigerian workers over long demand for increment of minimum wage.
The Kebbi state chapter of NLC has also joined their counterparts for the strike.
Our correspondent who visited the State secretariat and some federal agencies observed that all offices were locked and nobody was found in the premises.
Confirming the situation report to our correspondent , the State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Alhassan Haliru said that a meeting was held and resolved, wrote all the ministries and parastatals to close their offices and join their three days warning strike and ensure the compliance with the labour directive.
In Jigawa State , although the NLC joined the strike late as it announced its decision around 1:00pm on Thursday unlike the mother union directive of joining the strike by 12:00am of the same day.
In a statement signed by the Secretary of NLC Jigawa state, Comrade Habibu Mohd Galadi urged the workers to comply with NLC directive in a peaceful, calm atmosphere and wait further directives.
Activities have been grounded in both the public and private sector in Katsina State in compliance with labour directives.
Our correspondent who went round offices in the federal and state secretariat reports that all government bureaus, banks and most private establishments were under lock and key.
However, medical and health workers at the Federal Medical Centre in Katsina have not joined the industrial action as they told our correspondent that they have not been served notice for the strike.
At a press briefing in Katsina, the state NLC chairman, Comrade Tanimu Saulawa said members of different labour and trade associations went round government offices and private organisations to monitor the level of compliance with the industrial action.
In Sokoto, the strike recorded partial compliance in Sokoto, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
In Sokoto, work is going on at federal and state government owned hospitals, as well as higher institutions.
Although courts visited were not sitting, primary and secondary schools were operating while some offices remained opened at the federal secretariat.
Commercial banks had opened for business in spite of attempt by labour leaders to make them stop operations.
However, Aminu Umar, State Chairman of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), said the trike had recorded substantial compliance and would be total in next coming days.
In Adamawa State, civil servants yesterday complied with the nationwide industrial strike action.
Checks by our correspondent in Yola showed that, parastatals, agencies, banks were seen under lock and key with leaves hanging on their respective entrance gates signifying workers had joined their counterparts nationwide in the ongoing strike action over minimum wage.
At the Federal and state secretariat complexes offices were seen shutdown, while officials of the state chapter of the NLC went round government establishments to ensure compliance with the directives.