National president of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba has said that Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has lost his respect among Nigerian workers, saying his recent sack of workers from 19 parastatals in Imo State can only spell doom for his political future.
Speaking in Owerri Wednesday when the NLC President led thousands of Nigerian workers to commence indefinite strike action and to demonstrate against the sack of over 6,000 workers in the state and other anti-labour policies of the state government, Wabba said the impression the leadership of the NLC and the majority of Nigerian populace had about Okorocha was that he was an action governor.
He stated that they never knew he would return back for second term in office to initiate anti-people policies.
“In all sincerity, Governor Okorocha is somebody we used to respect among the other governors in Nigeria as an action governor. But, idint know he’s owing pensioners up to eight months pensions.
“We have come here today in Imo to liberate our workers from the anti-labour policies of the state government. We heard that the governor had mobilized youths from the 27 council areas of the state to disrupt our demonstration, but thank God he had a second thought and restrained his boys from acting funny”, he said.
The NLC leader lamented that Okorocha was not emulating President Muhammadu Buhari and leader of his own party, who was about employing about 500,000 workers.
“If President Buhari bailed out Governors of the country, why is it that Governor Rochas doesn’t want to bail his people out? Why is it that Governor Rochas doesn’t want to create more jobs like Buhari? Instead, he wants to sack over 6,000 of them. By his action, he’s proving that he’s not a true member of change”.
Wabba vowed that the NLC would continue the struggle until Okorocha rescinded his decision to sack the workers and pay pensioners.
“Rochas Okorocha has proved that he is the real Boko Haram, but NLC would show him Labour-Haram”, he added.
The NLC had shut down the roads with its thousands of population, having already shut down the state-owned Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC.
Earlier, the youths mobilized by Governor Okorocha and led by former Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Kenneth Emelu to disrupt the NLC demonstration, had marched from the International Conference Centre to Government and were quickly called into Government House where they were addressed by government officials on the need to continue to support the government.
They were reportedly advised not to clash with the labour protesters as that would have worse effect than that of the medical doctors.
