ULC asks NASS, judiciary to call labour minister to order

The United Labour Congress (ULC) has charged the National Assembly and the judiciary to call the Minister of Labour, Sen. Chris Ngige, to order over the alleged raid of the national secretariat of National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) at Iwaya, Yaba, Lagos.
According to the general secretary of ULC, Didi Adodo, the NUBIFIE secretariat was alleged to have been, “invaded by armed thugs supported by the police at the instance of the Federal Government of Nigeria under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Labour led by Chris Nwabueze Ngige.”
Condemning the raid, ULC said it was “irresponsible and a breach of the various laws governing the nation.”
“It is a flagrant disregard and violation of the very Constitution, which the nation’s governance rests upon. We do not understand the law or laws upon which the honourable minister of labour feigns to be standing upon to unleash such mayhem upon hapless workers and staff at the NUBIFIE secretariat,” the ULC said.
It added that, “What happened was a huge threat to our democracy and should concern all Nigerians. During the days of the various military dictatorships, they had to make laws by issuing decrees that allowed them to take over the leadership of trade unions. However, in a democracy, a minister, unfortunately, is seeing himself as being diffuse with all the laws and can do whatever he likes. This indeed is unfortunate! How can a minister unleash thugs to hijack a union without the backing of the law?
“It is important to stress that, before government can take over the property of any individual talk less that of statutory institutions, it must avail itself the services of the law. It is either it goes to the judiciary to acquire such powers or it goes to the legislature to enact such laws that would allow its intended actions. In this case, Ngige has not done any of these but chose to invade the secretariat in a bid to take-over the union.”
The ULC warned that the action portends great danger for Nigeria, democracy, the rule of law and the principles of separation of power.
“It exposes what we do as a nation to ridicule and makes a mockery of our pretences to democracy,” ULC said.