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From Tony Osauzo and Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Officials of the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, embarked on enforcement of compliance with the strike declared by the Union, forcefully shutting down government offices, public schools and banks that had opened for business.
Local government secretariats in all the 18 local government areas and other government offices were shut down as a special team of the NLC in the state moved round to ensure compliance.
Customers were seen stranded at gates of several banks in Benin City yesterday as operators of Point Of Sale (POS) besieged several banks with the hope of getting cash for their business.
Some of the POS operators have cashed in on the strike to increase their charges per transaction.
The NLC enforcement team did not spare the NNPC Mega Filling State along Sapele Road which had already opened for business in the early hours of yesterday morning. The team shut down the facility and the entrance gate to the Oba Akenzua II Benin Airport, leaving many travelers stranded, even as some of them were seen trying to enter the airport through the exit gate.
The team was also in the Edo State House of Assembly Complex and disrupted an on-going prayer meeting but the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Charity Aiguobarueghan intervened who explained to the NLC team that it was a monthly prayer session. They were allowed to conclude the session and then shut the complex. The NLC picketing team was led by the state Vice Chairman, Comrade Williams Uwumarogie who stood in for the state chairman, Comrade Odion Olaye.
The enforcement team also visited its violence on TCN Station along Sapele Road in Benin.
“At about 1:15am this morning, the Benin Transmission Operator under the Independent System Operations unit of TCN reported that all operators were driven away from the control room and that staff that resisted were beaten while some were wounded in the course of forcing them out of the control room and without any form of control or supervision, the Benin Area Control Center was brought to zero”, a statement from TCN said.
Speaking on the strike, Edo NLC State Youth Chairman, Comrade Osaro Best Idahosa said “So far so good we have shut down NNPC mega station, we have shutdown the Pension Trustfund, NPDC, the Secretariat Complex, Federal Secretariat at Aduwawa, the High Court Complex. We discovered that some students forced themselves into some public schools, we shut them down, the Akenzua II Airport in Benin is shut down, the Museum, TCN, BEDC offices in Akpakpava.
“There is no timeframe for this strike, it is indefinite but we look up to the national leadership to direct us on the next line of action, for now no time frame for this strike. We will continue again tomorrow (Tuesday)”.
