Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has dismissed the promises by a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami as “baseless political statements” aimed at deceiving citizens on issues already addressed by the present administration.
State NLC Chairman, Comrade Murtala Usman, said though it was against union policy to join issues with politicians, Malami’s claims amounted to a direct attack on the union, stressing that civil servants in Kebbi had never had it so good as under Governor Nasir Idris of the state, who has ensured prompt payment of all rights and privileges.
The NLC and stakeholders said Malami’s failure to reference the administration’s giant strides was deliberate, given the much publicised development witnessed in the state on one hand, and his perceived failure to make any visible support to individuals and community development throughout his eight years as Minister of Justice on the other.
In his Independence Day message, Idris expressed profound gratitude to the people of Kebbi for their sustained support for his administration.
The governor credited APC stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders, civil servants, women and youth groups and security agencies for the successes recorded by his government since assumption of office.
He said key sectors including education, infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture and peaceful coexistence have witnessed unprecedented development, thereby improving the socio-economic well-being of the people, and solicited sustained support to deepen harmonious relationships and ensure results-oriented governance.
Malami, SAN, who is the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in his statewide Independence broadcast, made fresh pledges to civil servants.
He promised to provide a “befitting Secretariat” and ensure prompt payment of workers’ rights and privileges if elected in 2027, in what political observers described as an attempt to launder his battered image.