The battle-line is drawn between Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State and Nigerian workers, who have vowed to teach him a bitter lesson over his stubborn refusal to make peace with Local Government Council workers and primary school teachers in the state.

Yesterday, Jang, a retired Air Force officer, had declared the workers sacked, saying they had crossed the line by refusing his entreaties to end their six-month strike. He however only ended up touching the eye balls of the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Comrade Denja Yaqub, an Assistant Secretary at the NLC headquarters in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, gave a hint of the big crisis ahead for the man regarded as the Pharaoh of Plateau when he sounded the war drum on his Facebook wall, saying: “Jonah Jang, the state’s governor, thinks he doesn’t have enough crisis! But, now he has just called for a major one. The man needs some straight lessons & he will sure get much of that. Pls, remind him the military is out of govt.”

News Express reports that the workers are striking as a means of getting the Jang administration to pay them their six months’ salary arrears but which the government is unwilling to do. The NLC national leadership and that of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had last week Tuesday, Nov. 27, given Jang a 10-day ultimatum to resolve the crisis or face a shutdown of the state civil service.

As announced by Plateau NLC Chairman, Comrade Jibrin Bancir, during a press conference in Jos on Friday, “the NLC/TUC at their Central Working Committee meeting held on Tuesday 27th November, 2012 resolved among other things that a ten-day ultimatum be issued effective from 30th November, 2012, to elapse on the 9th December, 2012, by midnight, after which if the impasse is not resolved, all workers in the state, including private organisations will embark on total withdrawal of services in the state.”

Also last week Thursday, members of the Plateau State House of Assembly urged Jang to pay the striking workers or face the wrath of the Assembly. The lawmakers had intervened during a plenary presided over by Speaker John Clark Dabwan, who summoned the sitting on issues of urgent public importance.

However, just like Pharaoh of ancient Egypt who would not listen to the voice of God and the oppressed, Governor Jang has vowed to apply the “no work, no pay” labour rule, insisting that his administration would not pay the workers for the period they refuse to work.

•Photo: Governor Jang of Plateau is acting like a modern-Pharaoh but workers have vowed to tame him.

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