As Nigeria marks Workers’ Day, the Kaduna State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Suleiman, on Sunday lamented that the productivity and safety of workers in the state have been largely affected by banditry and terrorism in different parts of the state.
Rural communities like Giwa, Birnin Gwari, Kaura, Zango Kataf, Kauru, and Igabi local government areas of the state have become the hotbed for kidnapping, with some of the victims killed in the process, while others paid ransom to secure their release.
Speaking to Channels Television in Kaduna, he called on the Federal Government to rise up to its responsibility of protecting the lives and property of citizens.
“Communities, which are rural, are really in a serious problem of insecurity. A good number of our members are there going about their businesses, and it is really causing a lot of issues to that,” he said.
“To mention of recent is the issue of attack in some communities in Giwa Local Government. In the evening around 4:00, bandits attacked more than four to five villages killing people, burning down their houses, and foodstuffs, and taking a good number of people as hostages.”
He explained that the security challenges in the state have largely affected the productivity of the workers and public services, as most of them serving in rural areas are now scared to go to work for fear of being kidnapped or killed by bandits.
The NLC chairman also asked both the federal and the Kaduna State governments to provide more security forces in the vulnerable communities where most of the workers live and work.
On the condition of workers in Kaduna State, Suleiman lamented the challenges of inflation which have affected the income of the Nigerian workers.
He added, “Statistics is showing that inflation in Nigeria is about 33.9 percent which is on the higher side and this is totally much on the workers. Even the minimum wage we are receiving in Kaduna State has been taken away by this issue of inflation.”
