Government and banking activities have been crippled in Akwa Ibom as workers in the state under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) joined the two-day warning strike.

Members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), however, did not participate in the action.

As early as 6. Am the leadership of the NLC had mobilized workers to block the gates of the State Secretariat known as the Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat.

The same situation happened at the Government House and the Secretariat Annex along Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo.

The Nation reports that commercial banks were shut to customers. Branches of situated along Olusegun Obasanjo Road, Aka Road, Oron Road, and others did not open for business.

However, workers in the state complied fully with the Union’s directive by staying away from work.

The labour leaders embarked on a peaceful protest along Abak Road from the State Secretariat by 10 am, chanting solidarity songs, and returned back to the Secretariat at about 11 am.

Addressing the workers after the Street protest that lasted about one hour, the state Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Sunny James commended them for making the exercise in the state successful.

He said: “Comrades you are here and I salute you. It is important to say that we did not come out here for trouble. We came to ask for our rights and our rights must be given to us.

“Somebody cannot be happy when the children are hungry and angry. Mr President must hear Nigerin workers. Nigerian workers are hungry and angry. And I am very sure Mr President will listen to the workers.

“Comrades on May 29, 2023, His Excellency, the President of Nigeria, withdrew fuel subsidy without putting in place measures to help the people of Nigeria, and organized Labour said no, it is not correct.

“Can you put modalities to help the people he blatantly refused? When he agreed to meet the Labour. He formed a Committee to meet with Labour, and the committee went to work and agreed on a number of issues. Prominent among the agreements is that all the streets should be flooded with Mass Transit buses.

“Comrades if the bus has not come, it means the President has lied to our people. Therefore we said enough is enough.

“We call to account why people in government cannot meet the Petroleum epiquarter given to Akwa Ibom. Over 2 million barrels of Crude oil comes out of soil on a daily basis. Comrade Nigerians are struggling right now to have 1.2million.

“We hired a Government inside the Government, Government Tompolo, and the federal government asked him to go and protect the pipeline and Tompolo discovered a Pipeline where Shell is taking Oil from Nigeria, about 40,000 barrels every day, and the Nigerian government did not say anything.

“It is not proper for Nigerians to suffer in the midst of plenty. Therefore, we are calling the government to account and ensure that Nigerians are not treated like slaves. Nigeria is not poor. Therefore give to us what belongs to us. The poor are not breathing, the rich have strangulated the poor.” (The Nation)

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