El-Rufai Declares NLC Leaders Bandits, Sacks Nurses, KASU Lecturers For Joining Strike

Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has declared Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) leaders who coordinated the shutdown of the state in
protest over mass sack of workers as bandits.

He vowed they will be prosecuted, accusing them of unwanton
destruction of public properties and disruption of peace.

Their actions, according to the Governor, were equivalent to the
actions of bandits terrorising the state.

He also ordered the sack of all nurses in the state below Grade
Level 14 and lecturers of the Kaduna State University (KASU) for
joining the five-day warning strike.

The Governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and
Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, lamented some nurses joined the
unlawful strike and engaged in sabotage of some of its health
facilities.

He alleged the nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge
of patients in many health facilities.

The Governor declared the state will prosecute three nurses of
Barau Teaching Hospital, who allegedly disconnected the oxygen
supply of a two-day old baby in an incubator on Monday.

The Ministry of Health, according to him, has been directed to
advertise vacancies for immediate recruitment of new nurses to
replace those dismissed.

The Governor also said any academic staff of Kaduna State
University (KASU) that does not report for work will be
dismissed.

The statement titled: “KDSG will not tolerate criminal acts
disguised as industrial action” reads: “Today, the Kaduna State
Government reviewed the sundry criminal actions that have defined
the campaign of economic and social sabotage and lawlessness waged
by the NLC.

“KDSG considers as unacceptable the serial violations of the
Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Trade Union Act that have
occurred over the last two days.

“However, KDSG cannot be expected to tolerate the brazen
shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and
buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging
patients, unlawful trespass into public facilities and the wanton
use of coercion and restraints of personal freedom by the NLC.

“Efforts to dress up criminal activity as industrial action do
not change the reality of the law breaking that has unfolded,
including their persistently ignoring the prohibition against
impeding essential services.

“Also, KDSG cannot ignore the illegal pressures brought to
disrupt the operations of banks and other private business whose
staff and customers do not have any industrial dispute with the
state or any other government.

“KDSG acknowledges doctors and some other categories of health
workers that are trying to run public health facilities but regrets
that some nurses have joined the unlawful strike and engaged in
sabotage of some of our health facilities. Nurses were implicated
in the forceful discharge of patients in many health
facilities.

“Reports from Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital disclosed that some
identified nurses disconnected the oxygen supply of a two-day old
baby in an incubator on Monday, 17th May 2021. The names of the
three nurses from the Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU) who were
involved in this despicable act have been forwarded to the Ministry
of Justice to initiate prosecution for attempted murder or murder
in the event we lose the baby.

“In addition, KDSG has decided the following: Ayuba Wabba and
his senior confederates in the NLC are declared wanted and will be
vigorously prosecuted for violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna
State, the Miscellaneous Offences and the Trade Dispute (Essential
Services) Acts. They are advised to report to the Ministry of
Justice and the Police Headquarters to take their statements;

“The Ministry of Health will dismiss all nurses below GL 14 for
going on an unlawful strike. Salaries that could have gone to them
are to be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the
health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gap of those
absconding from duty.

“The Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies
for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those
dismissed;

“Any academic staff of KASU that does not report for work will
be dismissed. The authorities of KASU are to submit a copy of the
attendance register for all categories of staff daily to the
Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of
Education;

“All MDAs are also to submit daily copies of attendance register
to the Head of Service;

“KDSG views the actions of the NLC as equivalent to the actions
of the bandits kidnapping and menacing our citizens. Bandits
illegally use arms but the NLC is deploying mob action for exactly
the same ends: trying to hold hostage the freedoms, economic
interests, livelihoods and resources of the people of Kaduna
State.

“It is a vain expectation that this government will respond
differently to sets of unlawful actions that have the same
ends.

“KDSG will not submit its treasury to the entitled minority. We
will reform and rightsize our public service to meet the needs and
resources of the Kaduna State even if the NLC strikes ad
infinitum.

“The government remains committed to using all the resources it
can generate to serve the interests of the majority of its
citizens, providing social services beyond paying salaries, always
putting the interests of the many ahead of the few.”

Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has declared Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) leaders who coordinated the shutdown of the state in
protest over mass sack of workers as bandits.

He vowed they will be prosecuted, accusing them of unwanton
destruction of public properties and disruption of peace.

Their actions, according to the Governor, were equivalent to the
actions of bandits terrorising the state.

He also ordered the sack of all nurses in the state below Grade
Level 14 and lecturers of the Kaduna State University (KASU) for
joining the five-day warning strike.

The Governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and
Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye, lamented some nurses joined the
unlawful strike and engaged in sabotage of some of its health
facilities.

He alleged the nurses were implicated in the forceful discharge
of patients in many health facilities.

The Governor declared the state will prosecute three nurses of
Barau Teaching Hospital, who allegedly disconnected the oxygen
supply of a two-day old baby in an incubator on Monday.

The Ministry of Health, according to him, has been directed to
advertise vacancies for immediate recruitment of new nurses to
replace those dismissed.

The Governor also said any academic staff of Kaduna State
University (KASU) that does not report for work will be
dismissed.

The statement titled: “KDSG will not tolerate criminal acts
disguised as industrial action” reads: “Today, the Kaduna State
Government reviewed the sundry criminal actions that have defined
the campaign of economic and social sabotage and lawlessness waged
by the NLC.

“KDSG considers as unacceptable the serial violations of the
Miscellaneous Offences Act and the Trade Union Act that have
occurred over the last two days.

“However, KDSG cannot be expected to tolerate the brazen
shutdown of electricity, attack on public infrastructure and
buildings, locking up hospitals and forcefully discharging
patients, unlawful trespass into public facilities and the wanton
use of coercion and restraints of personal freedom by the NLC.

“Efforts to dress up criminal activity as industrial action do
not change the reality of the law breaking that has unfolded,
including their persistently ignoring the prohibition against
impeding essential services.

“Also, KDSG cannot ignore the illegal pressures brought to
disrupt the operations of banks and other private business whose
staff and customers do not have any industrial dispute with the
state or any other government.

“KDSG acknowledges doctors and some other categories of health
workers that are trying to run public health facilities but regrets
that some nurses have joined the unlawful strike and engaged in
sabotage of some of our health facilities. Nurses were implicated
in the forceful discharge of patients in many health
facilities.

“Reports from Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital disclosed that some
identified nurses disconnected the oxygen supply of a two-day old
baby in an incubator on Monday, 17th May 2021. The names of the
three nurses from the Special Baby Care Unit (SBCU) who were
involved in this despicable act have been forwarded to the Ministry
of Justice to initiate prosecution for attempted murder or murder
in the event we lose the baby.

“In addition, KDSG has decided the following: Ayuba Wabba and
his senior confederates in the NLC are declared wanted and will be
vigorously prosecuted for violations of the Penal Code of Kaduna
State, the Miscellaneous Offences and the Trade Dispute (Essential
Services) Acts. They are advised to report to the Ministry of
Justice and the Police Headquarters to take their statements;

“The Ministry of Health will dismiss all nurses below GL 14 for
going on an unlawful strike. Salaries that could have gone to them
are to be given as extraordinary occupational allowances to the
health workers who are at their duty posts to fill the gap of those
absconding from duty.

“The Ministry of Health has been directed to advertise vacancies
for the immediate recruitment of new nurses to replace those
dismissed;

“Any academic staff of KASU that does not report for work will
be dismissed. The authorities of KASU are to submit a copy of the
attendance register for all categories of staff daily to the
Secretary to the State Government and the Commissioner of
Education;

“All MDAs are also to submit daily copies of attendance register
to the Head of Service;

“KDSG views the actions of the NLC as equivalent to the actions
of the bandits kidnapping and menacing our citizens. Bandits
illegally use arms but the NLC is deploying mob action for exactly
the same ends: trying to hold hostage the freedoms, economic
interests, livelihoods and resources of the people of Kaduna
State.

“It is a vain expectation that this government will respond
differently to sets of unlawful actions that have the same
ends.

“KDSG will not submit its treasury to the entitled minority. We
will reform and rightsize our public service to meet the needs and
resources of the Kaduna State even if the NLC strikes ad
infinitum.

“The government remains committed to using all the resources it
can generate to serve the interests of the majority of its
citizens, providing social services beyond paying salaries, always
putting the interests of the many ahead of the few.”