Governor Chime Bags Vote of No Confidence

Nigerian workers have declared Governor Sullivan Chime their number one enemy, and passed a vote of no confidence on him.

The workers, operating on the platform of Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC), gave the recluse governor a baptism of fire when they openly booed him for refusing to see them when they visited him at the Government House, Enugu on Friday July 17.

The protesting workers, led by the National President of the congress, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, bluntly, rejected the presence of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Martin Ilo, who came to represent Governor Chime.

The angry workers who marched round major streets of Enugu, were at the Government House around 11 a.m. to present to Chime the three issues of Deregulation, minimum wage increase and Electoral Reform, but they were informed that he had had just left for a burial ceremony in the neighboring Anambra state.

Angered by the development, Comrade Omar directed the protesting workers to sit on the bare floor in front of the Governor’s office, insisting that they would wait there until he returned.

After waiting for about an hour without Governor Chime showing up, the NLC president addressed the workers, and declared Governor Chime number one enemy to workers.

Omar added: “We are not disappointment at all by what has happened, in-fact it is a great history for Nigerian workers and Nigerian masses. When we say that Government House is the people’s property, maybe some people don’t believe; when people occupy that house temporarily and the true owners now invaded the house, those people on temporary basis decided to abscond and the true owners of the house are here.

“We did not come here with the intention of taking what belongs to us; perhaps we want to preserve that for another day. But what we are seeing today is that while some senior officers within the Government House decided to sneak out and join their principal; and as usual decided to re-enforce the police force in the Government House. I have to send a message to the Nigerian Police that we did not come to invade the Government House but to deliver a letter from the masses to the governor on three major issues.

“We have been to Lagos and the Governor received us, and we gave him the letter; we went to Asaba and the Deputy Governor received us because we were sufficiently informed and we were convinced that the governor was out of the country.

“At Kano the Governor was not there and we were sufficiently convinced that the governor was not there and we handed the letter to the next in command. At Maidugri, the governor came out to receive the letter. Today we are in Enugu; as we were approaching Government House we were reliable informed that the Governor decided to sneak out simply to evade us and receive this letter that is the letter of the Nigerian masses to the Governor because he is privileged today to be the governor of the state, for onward transmission ton the president.

“We are not disappointed it is what we expected; because we are going through the sun and the rain to say that we must practice true democracy in this country; and the foundation of any true democracy is through electoral processes; you must elect people by yourself.”

The NLC boss insisted that if people were elected by the masses, they would not see the people and run away.

“We are here today in fulfillment of our calling and we will continue to protest in this country; three main issue of Deregulation, minimum wage, and Electoral Reform; you are all aware that minimum wage is cardinal to Nigerian workers because no worker can say that his salary will take him through the month without trying to augment from other sources.

“If that is that case and the politician will continue to multiply their salaries and wages and other allowances, Nigerian workers also deserve same. Therefore the demand of Nigerian workers of a minimum salary of N52, 200 is a no go area.

“We must continue, because I must tell you we are dealing with people who do not think that we are equal to them; people who believe that they are already upstairs and that whatever happens downstairs is none of their business. If we don’t rise to fight for our right nobody will do that and we will continue to suffer.

“The issue of deregulation is a very serious issue to us because when deregulation is in place, that simply means an increase in fuel prices and the first victim is the worker. Because it is only the worker who has the knowledge of what he is likely to get within one month. Even small scale business people, the moment there is rise in fuel price they quickly adjust their own prices; even the woman who sells tomatoes will increase her own price. How can the Nigerian worker adjust his income the only way therefore is for us to ask for minimum wage and it is through the minimum wage that the Nigerian worker can use to earn at least a decent living.

“Government will always say that deregulation will bring this and that but what they fail to tell you is that deregulation is the fast track of bringing poverty to Nigerian people. While deregulation accrues more money to the government it impoverishes the poor masses. That is why we must all stand against it”.