An aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed claims that the minister was running away from protesters during a demonstration in Abuja on Monday, saying he merely used an alternative exit after protesters barricaded the main entrance.
According to ARISE TV on Tuesday, the minister’s aide, Lere Olayinka, said Wike did not flee from the aggrieved workers, contrary to what viral videos circulating on social media suggested.
He was quoted to have said, “The minister was not running away from anything. The entrance of the secretariat was barricaded by the protesters, and instead of instructing security to clear them, he chose to use a different exit from the Ministry of Agriculture so that he could make his way to the airport, where he was supposed to see the president off.”
Recall that tension had erupted in Abuja on Monday when a group of protesting workers chased the minister’s motorcade during a demonstration over unresolved welfare and salary issues.
Videos shared online showed aggrieved workers pursuing a vehicle allegedly conveying Wike, while chanting slogans and calling attention to their grievances.
Earlier on Monday, the workers, backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), picketed the National Industrial Court in Abuja as part of their ongoing indefinite strike, demanding Wike’s removal and the payment of outstanding entitlements.
Placards carried by the protesters read: “Wike must go!!”, “Abuja no be Rivers”, “Pay promotion arrears”, “Enough is Enough”, and “No working tools,” according to witnesses at the scene.
The workers said they embarked on the strike over unresolved welfare issues, including five months of unpaid salaries, long-standing promotion arrears, and poor working conditions.
In a latest development, Vanguard reports that the National Industrial Court (NICN), sitting in Abuja, has ordered workers under the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to immediately call off their ongoing strike and return to their duty posts.
The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Emmanuel Subilim, based its decision on the fact that allowing the workers to embark on an industrial action when the facts of the matter are already awaiting judicial attention amounts to a resort to self-help.
According to the court, though the FCT labour force has the constitutional right to embark on an industrial action, such a right is not absolute.
The post Viral video: Wike was not running from protesters — aide appeared first on Vanguard News.
