By Ebere Obinagwam
Organised labour has condemned Ambode’s act of dumping them to participate in a political party campaign as an insult to both the union and the people.
The union expressed this grievance on Tuesday while on a nationwide enforcement protest to the governor’s office to deliver a letter to him in person pertaining the new minimium wage.
The union and Nigerian workers who started their protest from Maryland down to government house were barigated from entering the governor’s office reasons being that the governor was not around and they can not allow them inside.
Some honourable members who came out at the gate to meet the people demanded that the group pass their message to them so they can deliver it to the governor on his arrival, but they refused saying that they are here to see the governor himself and to deliver the letter to him personally and not to any honourable member.
The group seeing the governor driving off for a political party campaign while they were still standing outside waiting for him exclaimed that his actions was a big insult to both the union and the people that voted him in.
Secretary, Joint Action Front (JAF), Commrade Abiodun Aremu, who spoke for the group said it is the second time they are being barred by the securities from seeing the governor.
He said the governor ought not to entertain fear as they all know that he has been doing well in paying workers in the state adding that they were only on a peaceful protest to deliver a letter to him from their executives even as it was also being done in other states same time.
Reacting to the issue, Special Adviser (S.A) on Civic Engagement, Benjamin Olabinjo, said that the issue is just a matter of understanding because they was no previous information to the governor that they are coming and that the governor had a campaign meeting to attain and that he was already on his way out before they matched in.
For him, he said he was supposed to be at the campaign ground before the governor but because he came late that was why they met him on ground.
“When I saw you people matching in, I had to wait so I can address whatever the issue is on the governor’s behalf, ” he said.
After all other arguments, Organised labour protest coordinator, Solomon Adegun, handed the letter to one of the honourable, and was signed by Benjamin Olabinjo, S.A on Civic Engagement.
While handing him over the letter he said, “We are not happy with this reasons: we are barricated, the treatment, Nigerian governor’s are ones standing on the way for the implementation of the new minimium wage and that the governor saw us with the people that voted him in the office and dumped us on this hot sun to attain to a political party campaign,” he said.
He added that the reason they want to see him was to give him a letter and to charge on what the organised labour has resulted to, to plead with him to talk to his colleagues on the minimum wage nothing more.
Also, JAF secretary, Abiodun Aremu, disclosed that the current demand for a new minimium wage has gone beyond the stage of negotiation so, it is no longer negotiable.
He stated that Nigerians should expect declaration of a nationwide strike any moment from now for federal government refusal to comply with their demand.
“Nigerian workers have never gotten a minimium wage without struggles since colonial age.
“The minimum wage we are asking for is a legitimate demand which government should pay.
” The money we are asking is not theirs, it all belongs to us,” he said.
He also urged Nigerian’s not to be deceived by their words that there is no money in the country.
” There is money in Nigeria. Do not be decieved that there is no money. We have realised that governors are the ones standing on the way for this demand. We are saying that any governor that won’t pay this minimium wage should vacate the office,” he said.
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