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From Enweliku Kent Asaba
Outrage has trailed the death of a Deputy Director in the Delta State Ministry of Secondary Education, Mr Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda, following an assault on the civil servant by persons suspected to be agents of a senior government official.
The ugly incident prompted workers under the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to shut down the state secretariat in Asaba on Friday.
The workers, under the NLC, locked the entrances to the Prof. Chike Odozien Secretariat and demanded an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death.
The protest also centred on the safety of civil servants, with the workers calling on the state government to assure them that they could carry out their duties without fear before returning to work.
Adeda, a staff member of the Ministry of Secondary Education, reportedly died in hospital on Friday, a day after an alleged confrontation at the secretariat.
The allegation of assault has not been independently established, while the circumstances surrounding the incident and Adeda’s death remain subject to investigation.
Speaking during the protest, the Delta State NLC Chairman, Comrade Goodluck Ofobruku, said the union was worried about the safety of workers and would engage the state government on the matter.
Ofobruku said the union would seek an amicable resolution but insisted that workers needed assurances that they were safe before returning to their duties.
He said the workers would resume on Monday if the government addressed their concerns but would remain at home if no satisfactory assurance was given.
“We must assure workers that they are safe in their places of work. And whoever is responsible for this beating that led to his untimely death must be brought to book before we come back,” Ofobruku said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Joint Civil Service Negotiating Council, Comrade Benson Efeotor, said the council was making efforts to establish what happened.
Efeotor said he had visited the Ministry of Education and sought information about Adeda, who he said worked at the Science Centre.
He appealed to the workers to remain calm and avoid violence or destruction of government property while discussions with the government continued.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, assured the workers that the state government would not conceal the findings of any investigation into the matter.
Aniagwu said the immediate priority was to establish what happened and determine the actual cause of Adeda’s death through appropriate investigation and medical examination.
“There are different conjectures as to what may have led to the death of our brother who passed in the hospital. Perhaps, as the autopsy would have been able to establish, what transpired and indeed medical examination will determine the cause of death,” he said.
The commissioner assured the workers that the findings would be made known and that necessary action would be taken based on the outcome.
“I can assure you that nothing is going to be swept under the carpet. It will be known what happened and then the necessary action will be taken,” Aniagwu said.
Aniagwu appealed to the workers to remain restrained and commended the labour leaders for conducting the protest peacefully.
He stressed that every human life was important and deserved protection, regardless of the person’s position or relationship with others.
The state government and labour unions are expected to continue discussions on the matter as workers await the outcome of investigations into the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death.
