The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has threatened to sue the Organised Labour Movement for picketing his house and endangering his family.
Ngige, who stated that picketing does not mean going to people’s private residence, disclosed that his entire family have been traumatized by the action of the Labour movement, stating that he will take legal action against NLC.
Recall that the Labour movement on Wednesday barricaded the residence of the Minister with two petrol tankers, over his refusal to inaugurate the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund(NSITF) Board with Chief Frank Kokori as chairman. The picketing however went sour when the Labour movement clashed with alleged thugs sent by the Minister.
Meanwhile, Ngige also said that he will not be blackmailed by the Nigeria Labour Congress’ insistence that ex-labour leader, Frank Kokori, be allowed to head the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).
He explained that the provisions of section 4(a) of the NSITF Act is very clear on the sole responsibility of the Minister of Labour and Employment to nominate a neutral, fit and proper person for the approval of the president for the Chairmanship of the board, adding that Kokori was not nominated because he is not neutral.
Giving his side of the story, Ngige said, “The scenario that emerged yesterday (Wednesday) was that I was woken up at 5am by my wife who reported to me that the security men were having problems with some strange fellows at the gate of the house and that some people were also on the walls of my home, that they arrived there by 4:30am.
“When the security people accosted them, they discovered that it was the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress himself that came physically with two tankers, one laden with petroleum, the second was half empty. One was put at the gate of my house and the second at the gate of my neigbour’s house.
“When I heard the story it was very strange. When I looked from upstairs I saw that the tankers were actually blocking the entrance to my house. I came down and asked for the chief detail who told me the whole story and it emerged that they even had a scuffle with the president of the NLC when they were struggling for the key to the tanker. So I went back and made some calls to the Commissioner of Police FCT, Director SSS and also the Federal Road Safety to see if they could move the vehicles.
“Picketing does not mean that you go to people’s private residence because you don’t know who occupies there. For example in my home, my wife, my children and the children of my domestic staff and security personnel were trapped. My neighbour, his wife and children couldn’t go out. It is obstruction, it is against the law of the country.
“Then putting a tanker with petrol is arson, the place can be caught on fire, the entire street could have engulfed on fire. I don’t know what to say.
“That is not trade unionism, that is hooliganism. I have been preaching that you cannot exchange hooliganism for trade unionism. Trade unionism means you dialogue, you discuss, you talk. That is why we call it social dialogue because you must continue to talk if you are government you continue to talk, if you are Labour you continue to talk with your employer and if you are employers you continue engaging them.
“So, I am very distraught, my family is traumatized, the people in my house are traumatized, my domestic staff with families are traumatized, even my neighbour and his wife couldn’t do their business for the day. Those tankers were removed around 6pm”.
On his next line of action, he said, “my neighbour said he is going to take legal action. I will also take legal action, illegal actions are actionable, nobody is above the law”.
