Gov El Rufai vows to dismiss all Kaduna workers who joined the NLC protest

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El Rufai has promised to dismiss all State workers including nurses and lecturers who participated in the ongoing protest by the National Labour Congress, NLC, in the state.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, May 18, the governor stated that the state government would not “tolerate the brazen shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging patients, unlawful trespass into public offices and the wanton use of coercion and restraints of personal freedom by the NLC”.

Members of NLC Kaduna protest against mass sack of workers

The governor vowed to prosecute the nurses of the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital who allegedly disconnected the oxygen supply of a two-day-old baby in an incubator on Monday, 17th of May,2021 so they could join the NLC strike. He said the names of the three nurses from the Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU) who were involved in the act have been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for attempted murder or murder in the event we lose the baby. He said staff of the state university who do not report to work will be dismissed.

The governor likened their actions to that of bandits.

Read the statement below,

Today, the Kaduna State Government reviewed the sundry criminal actions that have defined he campaign of economic and social sabotage and lawlessness waged by NLC.

KDSG considers as unacceptable the serial violations of the Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Trade Union Act that have occurred over the last two days. The state government commends citizens for remaining calm amidst this assault on their rights and comfort and their business.

However, KDSG cannot be expected to tolerate the brazen shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging patients, unlawful trespass into public facilities and the wanton use of coercion ans restraints of personal freedom by NLC.

Efforts to dress up criminal activity as industrial action do not change the reality of the lawbreaking that has unfolded including their persistently ignoring the prohibition against impeding essential services. Also, KDSG cannot ignore the illegal pressures brought to disrupt the operations of banks and other private business whose staff and customers do not have any industrial dispute with the state or any other government.

KDSG acknowledges doctors and some other categories of health workers that are trying to rin public health facilities but regrets that some nurses have joined the un lawful strike and engaged in sabotaged of some of our health facilities. Nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge of patients in many health facilities.

Reports from Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital disclosed that some identified nursed disconnected the oxygen supply of a two-day-old baby in an incubator on Monday, 17th May,2021. The names of the three nurses from the Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU) who were involved in this despicable act have been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice to initiate prosecution for attempted murder or murder in the event we lose the baby”.

In addition, KDSG has decided the following:

1) Ayubo Wanna and his senior Confederates in the NLC are declared wanted and will be vigorously prosecuted for violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna State, the Miscellaneous Offences and the Trade Dispute (Essential Services) Acts. They are advised to report to the Ministry of Justice and the Police Headquarters to take their statements.

2) The Ministry of Health will dismiss all nursed below GL 14 for going on an unlawful strike. Salaries that could have gone to them are to be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gap of those absconding from duty.  The Ministry of Health had been directed to advertise vacancies for the immediate recruitment of new nursed to replace those dismissed.

3) Any academic staff of KASU that does not report for work will be dismissed. The authorities of KASU are to submit a copy of the attendance register for all categories of staff daily to the Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of Education.

KDSG views the actions of the NLC as equivalent to the actions of the bandits kidnapping and menacing out citizens. Bandits illegally use arms, but the NLC is deploying mob action for exactly the same ends: trying to hold hostage the freedoms,economic interests, livelihoods and resources of the people of Kaduna State. It is a vain expectation that this government will respond differently to sets of unlawful actions that have the same ends.

KDSG will not submit it’s treasury to the entitled minority. We will reform and rightsize our public service to meet the needs and resources of the Kaduna State even if the NLC strike ad infinitum. The government remains committed to using all the resources it can generate to serve the interest of the majority of it’s citizens, providing social services beyond paying salaries always putting the interests of the many ahead of the fee”.