No Dialogue With NLC Until Electricity Is Restored, Kaduna Govt Replies FG

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that no official of his administration will attend the meeting scheduled by the Federal Government in a bid to resolve the state face-off with the Nigeria Labour Congress.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and communication, Muyiwa Adekeye in a statement said that the State Government is yet to see evidence that the NLC is backing off from its campaign of economic and social sabotage against the people of the state.

The State government, in the statement noted that electricity which is yet to be restored, after it was shutdown at dawn on Sunday, is a brazen violation of the laws protecting essential services and infrastructure.

It reads, “No official of Kaduna State will go to Abuja for any meeting with FGN or NLC when the citizens of the State have no electricity.

“We hold the FGN responsible for inability to assert its ownership rights over TCN. No electricity, no meeting.”

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had directed the two parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum pending the resolution of the issues in contention.

He said, “Sequel to the strike prompted by the NLC one of the federations of Trade Unions in Nigeria, I am therefore constrained in the exercise of my powers as the Minister of Labour and Employment, under the Trade Disputes Act, CAP. T8, Laws of Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004; to invite you and your top officials to the emergency trade dispute conciliation meeting.

“Between the transition period for the meeting, you are please requested to maintain the status quo ante bellum this dispute so that the enabling climate for the resolution of the issues in dispute will not be hindered by the creation of new issues.”

The statement by the State Government explained that the action of the workers to cut of electricity has hampered any basis for state government officials to meet the NLC last Sunday.

It added, “Denying our people electricity about 18 hours to the advertised commencement of their organised sabotage was akin to putting a gun on the government’s head.

“Government has a lawful duty not to indulge blackmail. Restoring electricity is vital to relieving some of the pain that needless acts of lawlessness have inflicted on our people. The unimpeded provision of essential services is vital to civilised order.

“Those who have disrupted it should promptly reverse themselves, not expect that it will be a matter for negotiation, much less being viewed as a precondition.

“KDSG Will not participate in such a negotiation or countenance one whilst our people are still being denied their right to electricity.”