By OGIDI CHIDINMA FAVOUR.
Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, has responded to statements made by the National Labour Congress (NLC). The NLC had objected to the termination of Rivers State’s allocation and condemned the ongoing political crises in the state. In response, Nyesom Wike rebuked the NLC for using the institution to instigate crises and for overstepping its boundaries.
He expressed concern about the NLC’s reaction to court judgements that do not align with its interests. He advised that the organisation should respect the legal process instead of expecting outcomes to always be in its favour. He further stated that, if a judgement is unfavourable to them, the NLC’s proper course of action would be to appeal through the legal system. He explained that this approach would foster a healthier and stronger legal environment, enhancing respect for judicial verdicts.
In an interview with Symfoni News, Wike said, “People today use labour to cause crises. Labour will venture into areas where they are not supposed to go. Labour tells you that the judgement of the court is against its interests, as if the judgement must be in its favour. If a judgement is against labour, for example, is it not for you to follow the legal procedure and go on appeal? In that way, there will be sanity, but trying to blackmail judges and justices to make them give their judgements based on social media is not fair.”
This response by Minister Nyesom Wike, however, triggered some hostile comments from certain Nigerian citizens.