The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) shut down the office of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday, in protest against the non-implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage for Area Council workers, teachers, and health workers.
A large number of placard-carrying workers staged a peaceful protest, marching from the Labour House in the Central Area to the Minister’s office at Area 11, chanting anti-government songs to emphasise their demands.
Tensions escalated when armed policemen at the main gate of the Minister’s office locked the gate, preventing the protesters from entering.
However, the organised labour group stood firm, insisting that the Minister must address them. They vowed to block the movement of staff and officials until their demands were heard.
At this point, a management staff member, Mandate Secretary, Lawrence Garki, attempted to address the protesters but was turned away amidst chants of “thief, thief.”
Meanwhile, a standoff persists at the gate as the protesters remain adamant that Wike must come out to address them.
They are also demanding the resignation or removal of the six Area Council Chairmen, accusing them of being indifferent to their struggles.
The Chairman of Kwali Area Council, Danladi Chiya, who often speaks on behalf of the council chairmen in his capacity as FCT ALGON chairman, had been refusing to talk to our correspondent on the issue.
Several calls put across to his line yesterday were not answered nor did he respond to text messages earlier sent to him.
Other area council chairmen also refused to talk on the issue. One of them referred our reporter to the FCT ALGON chairman, who he said, is the only one that can speak on the issue.
