The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has
called on the Federal Government to intervene
in the Kogi State House of Assembly Crisis.
The call was made in a statement issued by
the NLC National Leadership signed by the
President Ayuba Wabba.
“We are appalled by the developments in the
Kogi State House of Assembly in particular,
and Kogi State in general.
“For those who may not have been in the
know, last week, the speaker, Honourable
Alfa Imam was forced out and a more pliant
one installed.
“The offence of the former Speaker was that
he had initiated a legislative process to look
into the disbursements of the Paris Club
refund following non-payment of salaries and
pensions and the industrial tensions in its
aftermath.
“But the former Speaker was lucky to have
gotten off “lightly” as the House Member who
moved the motion for this process ended up
in Plaster of Paris (POP) courtesy of the
thugs dispatched to disrupt the House
proceedings.” The statement said.
The statement described the Kogi crisis as a
mess that represents the height of
intolerance, insensitivity and impunity, and a
precursor to dictatorship and anarchy.
The NLC called on all well-meaning Nigerians
to condemn the act and that the situation
should be apprehended by the Federal
Government before it spins out of control.
The statement said: “Accordingly, we call on
the Federal Government to, as a matter of
urgency, commence investigations into the
disbursements of bail-out funds (50% percent
of which it had directed should be applied to
payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities);
continuous non-payment of salaries and
pensions; endless staff audit which has
become a convenient alibi for owing salaries
and pensions.
“We also believe that the Federal Government
should be concerned that the state-contrived
industrial disharmony in the state is slowly
but steadily degenerating into a political
crisis as exemplified by the clamp down on
ASUU and the State-sponsored violence in
the House of Assembly and other acts of
witch-hunt in the State’s socio-political
space.”
“The Kogi State situation has dragged on for
too long and the Federal Government cannot
continue to look the other way. The time to
act is now.
“Finally, we are guided by the dictum that it
is better to build strong institutions instead
of strong individuals, because whereas strong
institutions protect our democracy, strong
individuals threaten it.” The NLC Added.