The Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) [/b]has issued a stern warning, stating that it will initiate a strike if the federal government decides to enforce a recent court ruling that halts the state’s monthly federal allocation.
According to reports, the ruling was issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmaliki, who prevented the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from disbursing the state’s monthly allocation to the government led by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Rivers State NLC Chairman, Alex Agwanwo, articulated this position to journalists following an emergency meeting with labor leaders on Thursday. Agwanwo firmly stated that organized labor stands in strong opposition to the ruling, emphasizing that if the federal government chooses to implement it, state workers will face the harsh reality of unpaid salaries.
He further elaborated that workers cannot be expected to perform their duties without compensation, and if the situation does not change, they would have no choice but to shut down operations entirely.[/p>
According to Agwanwo, the judgment lacks empathy, and he criticized Justice Abdumaliki for failing to consider the impact of her ruling on the citizens and workers of the state before issuing her decision.
The Rivers NLC chapter has called upon President Bola Tinubu to refrain from enforcing the court’s ruling. They also appealed to the Court of Appeal to overturn the ruling, arguing that depriving a state of its allocation would lead to significant suffering and disrupt effective governance.[/p>
“As a state council, we have looked at the issues. We condemn that judgment. The judgment lacks a human face. The judgment lacks empathy. The judge did not take the citizens and workers of Rivers State into consideration before giving the judgment,” he stated.
“Everybody knows that taking allocation away from a state will put the state into suffering. It will disrupt governance in a state because governance will not take place without funds,” Agwanwo added, as reported by Arise TV.[/p>