Niger: The NLC urges Governor Bago to postpone the selection of executive directors for government agencies.

The Niger State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on Governor Muhammad Umar Bago to halt the appointment of executive directors for government agencies and parastatals. This demand was communicated through a letter presented to the State House of Assembly during a peaceful protest on Wednesday, with a warning of a potential state lockdown if the request is not heeded.

Idris Abdulkareem Lafene, the State chairman of the NLC, stated that the union decided to approach the legislators due to the governor’s refusal to address their earlier call for a suspension of the appointments. The union contended that such appointments are in violation of civil service rules.

Lafene emphasized, “The political appointment of executive directors, director general, and others is creating serious industrial disharmony between the political class and the civil service. It is not done anywhere in the world. If nothing is done to that effect, the NLC would be forced to lock down the state.”

The State NLC chairman highlighted the importance of the three arms of government, the judiciary, and the legislature in overseeing the executive, stating, “We decided to bring our grievances to the House on the need for the state governor to stop all these appointments.”

In response, Deputy Speaker Comrade Afiniki Dauda commended the organized labor for advocating the correct course of action. She assured that the observations and concerns raised in the letter, as well as those from others, would be forwarded to the state governor.

“Thank you for your observations. We will take all the observations and abnormalities you raised in your letter to the governor; even the observations made by others,” she affirmed. Dauda also mentioned the establishment of a committee in the House to investigate the abnormalities in appointments, particularly in the Board of Internal Revenue, as a measure to ensure transparency and understanding of the situation. Additionally, members were instructed to return to their respective local government areas to assess the revenue generated by each council.