The Federal Secretariat (Audu Bako Secretariat) and other state agencies were shut down Monday by organized labor as the strike over the hike in electricity tariff and a lack of consensus on a new minimum wagebegan.
While the National Assembly stepped in at the last minute to avoid the industrial action declared on Friday, the discussions ended in a stalemate, leading to the commencement of the strike.
The industrial action has affected businesses and critical services across Kano State including schools, hospitals, and power supply as workers complied with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) order.
In Kano, Nigeria Info observed that labor leaders barricaded the gates of the secretariat and ministries, including Gidan Murtala, where the State Ministry of Education is, denying workers access to their respective offices.
Hundreds of passengers on domestic flights were stranded at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), as aviation unions joined the nationwide indefinite strike.
The chairman of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Zakariya Muhammad,disclosed that no domestic flights were allowed to leave.
Nationwide Blackout
Earlier in the day, the national grid was shut down by workers, throwing the nation into a blackout.
The General Manager (Public Affairs) of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Ndidi Mbah, said the blackout was due to staff of the TCN, under the aegis of the National Union of Electricity Workers (NUEE), completely shutting down all power substations in the country.
This caused the national grid system to drop to zero Megawatts.
In compliance with the NLC/TUC order, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) in Kano also shut down the headquarters of Kano Electricity Distribution Company KEDCO’s operations.
The Coordinator of NUEE, North West Zone, Comrade Ado Riruwai said the move was part of the commitment to show solidarity “until the right thing is done.”
Banks Shut Down
Green leaves were put on the doors of banks along Bank Road, and Murtala Muhammad Way, as labor unions enforced compliance to the strike order.
Organized labor enforcement team
The head of the NLC Strike Compliance Team, supervising the public sector’s compliance level, Comrade Ibrahim Maikarfi, demanded total compliance, saying any ministry, department, or agency (MDA) disobeying the strike order would be shut down by the union.
“So far we have visited the Audu Bako Secretariat which houses most of the state-owned ministries,” he said.
“We also visited the Kano State Hospital Management Board, as well as the Ministry of Education and the compliance level is 100 percent.”
Comrade Maikarfi further said any MDA not complying with the indefinite strike directive, will be shut down.
In addition, the chairperson of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Women Commission, Comrade Maryam Yahaya Musa, stressed that the union will not call off the strike until the federal government addresses its demands.
