Kaduna State has been saved from another major disaster. The seven-day warning strike embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) last week was cut short after the third day. The timely intervention of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, in the labour crisis that virtually paralysed the state was, indeed, a saving grace.
The strike was a protest against the high-handedness of the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in handling the government – Labour relations in the state. The mass sack of workers in the state without due diligence and appropriate disengagement compensation was like adding salt to an injury for the overburdened people of the state.
For several months before the strike, residents of the state had been going through the most harrowing experiences of their lives from the atrocities of bandits and kidnappers who have made Kaduna, a predominantly civil service state, a killing field.
At a time they were heaving a sigh of relief with the release of their children from captivity, following various interventions and payment of heavy ransoms, Governor el-Rufai, then came with another ‘hammer.’ For a governor who had vowed not to negotiate with the bandits, thereby leaving the parents of the abducted students in the state to their fate, the mass sack was like hitting the vulnerable workers with another devastating blow without any consideration of the pains they had been going through all along.
Displaying an uncommon arrogance and treating the workers in the most disrespectful manner, the governor who rode to power on the back of the civil servants in the state, simply turned his back on the poor workers.
Carrying himself about as the Lord of the Manor and a man with the monopoly of wisdom, the Governor was apparently transferring his aggression for leadership failure on the poor civil servants as if they were the cause of his woes.
It is against this background that mobilisation for the strike and the supportive action received was quite unprecedented as the state was practically shut down for three days, to the shock and consternation of the governor.
Still reveling in self-adulation and vain glorification, El-Rufai was unyielding, stubbornly refusing to shift ground, even as the workers continued their mobilisation for the “mother of all strikes” after the initial seven-day warning strike.
However, Ngige saw the danger ahead and his quick intervention, as well as the warning by the Nigerian Governors Forum, saved the day. But the arrogant governor was still adamant, maintaining that he would not sit on the same table to negotiate with the labour leaders, especially the NLC President, Aliyu Wabba, who, he had earlier declared wanted for alleged economic sabotage. El-Rufai even went further to slam his fellow governors for, at least, calling him to order. Apparently, they were wiser than a man suffering from delusions of grandeur of the highest order.
While we condemn the arrogance being displayed by the Kaduna governor, we commend Ngige for his maturity in calling a stubborn governor to order. It is unfortunate that the same El-Rufai, who has not been able to handle a small state as Kaduna is day-dreaming of leading a country as big as Nigeria. Nigeria would surely be very unfortunate to have this kind of a man that is so full of himself as a leader.
Ngige has really saved the day for El-Rufai just as Wabba has also displayed maturity in calling off the strike as a mark of respect for the Federal Government. That is the spirit of mutual respect that is needed in government-labour relations and not the master-servant posture being exhibited by a “demystified demagogue.”
It is however heartwarming that a truce has finally been brokered and frayed nerves have been calmed through the efforts of the minister. A tripartite committee, we understand, is already working on resolving some of the vexed issues so as to bring normalcy back to the state. While we agree with the Federal and Kaduna State Governments that an employer has the right to hire and fire its staff, we still believe that due diligence must be followed.
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