A group, the Coalition of Delta APC Support Groups, has condemned the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress to picket the residence of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige. It said the exercise violated Ngige’s right to private life.

Convener of the coalition, Prince Daniel Ekuigbo, who is also the coordinator of Change Consolidation Coalition, made his position known in a statement made available to journalists over the weekend.

Ekuigbo said that it is even more disturbing that the NLC is acting in this manner purportedly to compel the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, to disobey the approval of the president and inaugurate Chief Frank Kokori as the chairman of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund in place of Mr Austin Enajemo-Isire that is duly appointed by President Mohammadu Buhari.

He said that it is not only difficult to understand why the NLC will make an issue of a chairmanship appointment of one individual a national emergency just because that individual is a former Labour leader. Ekuigbo added that it is even more perplexing that the NLC is determined to break the law and even spill the blood of Nigerians to achieve a clearly illegal and crooked purpose.

“ Labour organizations are not expected to act lawlessly, no matter the perceived provocations,” he opined.

He said: “The picketing of the Labour Minister’s private residence was not only unlawful and against the Trade Dispute Act of Nigeria and gross violation of the fundamental right of Dr Ngige to his private life, but also criminal and an embarrassment to organised labour.

“Assuming without conceding that Ngige acted outside presidential approval to refuse the inauguration of Kokori as chairman of the board of the NSITF, does such act constitute a trade dispute which permits the NLC to picket offices or businesses where the dispute arises?

“What exactly is NLC’s interest in this matter? The same Kokori has been given another appointment by Mr President as Chairman of the Michael Imoudu Labour Training Institute, Ilorin, so why is NLC insisting Kokori must be Chairman of NSITF?

“The NLC must know that there are federal laws that established and regulate trade unions and trade disputes which must be obeyed by all parties, employers and employees including trade unions.

“NLC can only act within such laws and must restrict its protest or picketing to the official offices and in this case, perhaps offices of the Minister of Labour, the office of Mr President or other Federal Government office connected to the NSITF in its determination to compel either Dr Ngige to disobey Mr President or Mr President to change his approval from Mr Isire to Chief Kokori,whichever is applicable.

Continuing Ekuigbo said, “For the NLC to take its protest to the private residence of a government official for matters that are wholly and strictly official, is totally condemnable and should be denounced by all Nigerians because such an act is not only lawless but violates the private life of Ngige and indeed any official of government and private sector. To take petrol tankers loaded with fuel and block the entrance of the Minister’s house is not only an illegal and dangerous act of intimidation but a reckless threat to life and property of not only Dr Ngige and family but his neighbors and their families.”

Ekuigbo we called on all Nigerians to rise up and condemn this barbaric act by the NLC.

“ Nigerians should direct the NLC to prioritise the interest of Nigerians ahead of an individual who believes he is entitled to be appointed to a particular position by the President of Nigeria,” the statement concluded.