NLC faults Gov Bello on Kogi ASUU

Wabba and Gov. Bello

Lagos—PRESIDENT of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, yesterday, berated Governor Yayaya Bello of Kogi State over his purported proscription of activities of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, of the state university, saying the governor lacked such powers. 

Wabba, who spoke at a meeting with the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, in Lagos, said Kogi State was one of the states being governed upside down in the country. It will be recalled that the governor had, on Wednesday, declared all activities of ASUU Kogi chapter, as illegal, claiming that despite the government meeting close to 90 percent of its demands, the union had refused to call of its protracted industrial action. Wabba said: “Our attention has been drawn to a pronouncement by the Governor of Kogi State that he has banned activities of ASUU in the state university. “He does not have such powers. Such powers are drawn from our constitution, particularly Section 40,  which provides inter alia that every worker has a right under the constitution to belong to a trade union of his or choice and this is an international norm contained in International Labour Organisation, ILO convention. “It is reinforced in ILO Convention 98 and 87, and Nigeria is a signatory.”