Dictatorship, anarchy looms in Kogi, NLC warns; seeks FG’s intervention

The crisis in Kogi State could lead to anarchy and weaken
democratic institutions, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC
said on Friday.

The NLC, in a statement by its president, Ayuba Wabba, also
called on the federal government to intervene in crisis in the
state.

The foremost labour union lamented the apparently forced
resignation of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alfa Imam, in
the state.

“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,” Mr. Wabba said.

TheNigerialawyer had reported the resignation of the
speaker two days after thugs, allegedly sponsored by the
executive, invaded the Assembly beating up lawmakers and
journalists.

The state governor has since denied sponsoring the thugs or
being behind the crisis.

A new speaker, Mathew Kolawole, was elected on
Thursday.

In his statement on Friday, Mr. Wabba also
condemned the ban on the lecturers’ union, ASUU, at the Kogi state
university by the governor.

Read Mr. Wabba’s full statement below.

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 Kogi State mess represents the height of intolerance,
insensitivity and impunity, and a precursor to dictatorship and
anarchy and should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians and
apprehended by the Federal Government before the situation spins
out of control.

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.

We need not remind the Federal Government that these represent
strong threats to our democracy and should not be condoned.

Government should not be under the illusion that the
developments in the state will simply peter out with time. It will
be a criminally negligent assumption, and therefore dangerous.

We at the Nigeria Labour Congress similarly consider ourselves
duty-bound to remind the Federal Government that it should not
sacrifice the interests of the people of Kogi State on political
considerations or convenience. 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 crisis in Kogi State could lead to anarchy and weaken
democratic institutions, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC
said on Friday.

The NLC, in a statement by its president, Ayuba Wabba, also
called on the federal government to intervene in crisis in the
state.

The foremost labour union lamented the apparently forced
resignation of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Alfa Imam, in
the state.

“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,” Mr. Wabba said.

TheNigerialawyer had reported the resignation of the
speaker two days after thugs, allegedly sponsored by the
executive, invaded the Assembly beating up lawmakers and
journalists.

The state governor has since denied sponsoring the thugs or
being behind the crisis.

A new speaker, Mathew Kolawole, was elected on
Thursday.

In his statement on Friday, Mr. Wabba also
condemned the ban on the lecturers’ union, ASUU, at the Kogi state
university by the governor.

Read Mr. Wabba’s full statement below.

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 Kogi State mess represents the height of intolerance,
insensitivity and impunity, and a precursor to dictatorship and
anarchy and should be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians and
apprehended by the Federal Government before the situation spins
out of control.

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.

We need not remind the Federal Government that these represent
strong threats to our democracy and should not be condoned.

Government should not be under the illusion that the
developments in the state will simply peter out with time. It will
be a criminally negligent assumption, and therefore dangerous.

We at the Nigeria Labour Congress similarly consider ourselves
duty-bound to remind the Federal Government that it should not
sacrifice the interests of the people of Kogi State on political
considerations or convenience. 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.