Despite efforts by the Niger state government to persuade Organized Labour in the state to call off its indefinite strike, workers began the strike on Wednesday as planned.
This was followed by stalemate talks between Niger State Government officials led by Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, and Organized Labour officials led by the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Idrees Lafene.
As a result, the two state secretariats and other offices were closed, with the NLC’s monitoring teams moving around to check compliance.
Aside from the office closures, the Minnesota General Hospital and clinics throughout the state were also closed.
Similarly, all public primary and secondary schools were closed, and a few children who went to school accidentally returned home because there were no teachers present.
While the gates of the Minna General Hospital were closed, some skeletal services were still being provided, with some nurses observed attending to emergency situations.
In an interview, State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Idrees Lafene said the strike will continue until their demands are met.
“The Strike has witnessed total compliance and it will continue until our demands are met.
“We have no option than to embark on the strike because the present state administration has not shown appreciable commitment to our demands which are legitimate and have been lingering for sometimes.
“Out of the 15 points demand presented to the administration, only one has been met and we will continue with the strike until the government shows enough commitment to meet our demands,” the NLC Chairman declared.