 Kadula's state was grounded on Monday when organized labor started its five-day warning strike in the state. On Tuesday Governor Nassou El-Rufai declared the national president of the Nigerian Labor Congress wanted for economic sabotage. The NLC leader Ayub Awaba has in turn dared the governor. He led workers in a protest after he was declared wanted and his quota to have said let him come and arrest me. We're here and are waiting for him. Ayub Awaba now joins us via Zoom. Good morning Mr. Awaba. Thank you. Good morning and thank you for having me. Okay how do you respond to all the allegations the Kaduna state government has made saying you know you're guilty of economic sabotage and that you're wanted and also putting a bounty on you and you know promising people a handsome reward for bringing you into the police. Well as you can see I'm speaking from Kaduna because the laws are very explicit. First is that he has no such power to be clearly wanted because he cannot be the accuser, he cannot be the judge, and he cannot also be the person trying. So you can see his good abuse of power because when people are power drunk there is nothing they cannot pronounce. But basically under the law he has no such power. Mr. Awaba, Mr. Awaba can you hear us? That's why I keep saying that don't have such power. They are not being attended to and that's why the action has continued. Mr. Awaba can you hear us? Unfortunately seems we're having a bit of a hiccup there from Mr. Awaba. Well we'll try to connect with him really shortly. Anybody he's accusing because he's not the accuser. Okay can you hear us Mr. Awaba? We're gonna have to see if we can reconnect with Mr. Awaba the national president of the NLC this morning. Of course to get live updates on what's going on in Kaduna state after being declared wanted. Of course I would also like to ask about the little bit of violence that was seen yesterday at the protest. You know the talks about the protest and how much that might also deter them from getting out on the streets again today. So it's a pretty interesting time. Yes good to see anyway he's safe. He's safe and sound. You know you know we saw Eruf yesterday you know talking about him presenting himself to the police but yes Mr. Awaba are you still there? Are you about Awaba? If you can unmute your device so we can continue with this conversation. Yes what I'm saying in essence in all the pronouncement that it makes you can see that there is no concern and you can see that totally there is no leadership because what are we responding to? We are responding to a situation where over 7,000 workers were sucked. We have the letters and a particular provision of our labor law on the issue of redundancy have not been respected and let me be very clear about the provision. The provision of the labor law particularly section 20 made it very clear that before you contemplate sacking any worker that you shall and you know the world shall is not something you can just decide or not to decide to do that the government or employer shall inform the trade union or even where the worker does not belong to a trade union he's representative about one reason and the scope of the redundancy or sack. All of these have not been followed. What we saw was just issue a letter to workers. Okay sadly we really apologize for the network difficulties we're having connected with Mr. Waba. You know very important views we have to get in here regarding what's happening exactly in Kaduna state with the NLC. Mr. Waba can you hear us? In 2021 I'm not paid. Okay so this is why we are here and that's why it's a national issue that we have come to support the Kaduna workers because every effort by our unions in Kaduna has failed. We have not been engaged in line with the provision of the law about social dialogue and their right to collective bargaining have been violated. That's why they cannot produce any document to say that there was engagement with people because there is no CVA that is collected by any agreement. Mr. Waba I need to ask you. So that's why we're here. Okay and that's why the action is ongoing so I can say that they are not responsible and that is why the issue is going the way it is going and therefore we will continue to protect the right and interests of every worker. Every worker in any sector. Okay. If a worker is sacked without his benefit being paid NLC will be there to continue to protect those workers. Okay Mr. Waba I need to ask you this important question because this is something you've said repeatedly you know to all our colleagues across all all media stations citing section 20 of the label acts talking about you know the provision that the government must consult you know label before they take such action like you know sacking any worker. So is the issue here the fact that the government sacked those workers or that they did not consult label before sacking them. Also if the Kaduna state government had sat with label to discuss this to say these people are not qualified they're not competent you know on all of these factors we need to sack them. If if Kaduna state government had sat with you to to consult with you like section 20 of the label acts says would it be different right now in Kaduna state? It's not consultation please get the facts very right. The law did not say only consults. There is a process there is section 20 ABC. First is that before you give them sack later when the process is completed you have your list you shall inform the trade union so that there will be a dialogue so that you put the document on the table these are the people that want to sack. These are the reasons this is the scope and therefore we'll discuss and look at it. The second issue is that in such an exercise the last to come into the service will be the first to go and the last one is that before you issue later your money must be ready. So the point is not only about consultation is about the process and when the process is the process of social dialogue is completed between label and government there will be an agreement. So what we are saying is that in all of these they are doing because they have changed gear and have to say it's because of lack of computers but you require you remember the official statement issued by the government to say that it's because of positive of phone that they cannot spend between 80% and something percent on paying of worker salary and we debunked that that's why they have changed gear. We debunked that to say that the internal general venue alone being generated by workers is about 50.7 billion in 2020 and we know what comes in from fact. So when we put the two together we know that workers don't consume up to one third and therefore workers at this level worker provides key services. So these are the facts that you need to be informing the public about what I said so that we don't actually mix the information and the facts. I want us to you now speak about the events from yesterday. There are clips and reports of protesters being attacked by thugs. I quickly speak on that you know how did that play out yesterday. Well thank you very much. As early as six o'clock we got the information because when when they were having the meeting with their sponsors there was a conversation that was recorded. That conversation was forwarded to me as early as five in the morning and I made efforts to call all the relevant security agencies. I also forwarded the clip to them. Names were mentioned in the clip where they met where money was distributed and where people will be hired from. So basically we thought that proactive action should have been taken because the informations were already given and because it was a peaceful process we thought that with even those information we thought that people cannot because people have a right if they are countering whatever we do they can go and have their own protest which they did. You remember they hired youths between the age of 12 and 18 to go on the protest and I have the clip of also where they were I can send it to you. We have the clip is on social media already when people are saying how can I be called and protest over just 500 Naira. So basically this is what played out. So immediately we are just concluding. In fact we are taking announcements and trying to conclude at the NEPA runabout. The governor himself while I was trying to take announcement the governor himself drove. So when he saw the crowd I think he had to divert and enter the old NEPA office. We are told because the workers were there because he is the power sector. They were trying to make sure that nobody comes into vandalize their equipment. He climbed up to look at the crowd and immediately we were told that the talks were actually behind him. So from the same direction they now approach our protesters and approach them. They were atrocious because they were carrying marchers, they were carrying guns and then sticks. So because of our number our people also approached them. In the process two were apprehended and because they were throwing stones one was trying to approach us. He's calling from the back through stone and he hit him on the head and he collapsed there. So basically that is how we chased them away and the police came and we are shooting tear gas. In fact what even prevented our people from actually apprehending all of them is because tear gas was being thrown also on our people and that's why I think they had to also disappear. Even this morning I was informed very clearly as early as five in the morning about 50 trucks of trucks were also hired and this time around not even to where we are going to protest is to our office where people are already assembling and we have also given this information to all the relevant security agencies. People are already converged somewhere, they entered our office and they are carrying weapons and dangerous weapons. So this is how the country have degenerated and this is a laughable stock. Nigeria will be a laughable stock in the committee of nations. As we can see all over the world today the right to protest and strike is fundamental rights which is covered by the U.S. and also the African Charter. Even in our section 40 of the constitution nobody should be able to make sure that the voice of the people are not. So they are afraid. They don't want this clear information to be heard. Because they thought that the number is so massive, 7000 workers are on the street. I need to ask you this Mr. Waba. Apologies to button Mr. Waba. Right now in Kaduna State the Kaduna State government has said they will not compromise. They are not reinstating the workers. This is where they stand and the NLC of the other hand says they will run the strike till its full cost and in fact will extend this to a nationwide strike. What do you foresee as the outcome of the situation in Kaduna nationally? Well I think the message have been passed clearly and you can see that because we have been very consistent with giving the correct information everybody that has spoken have spoken to the fact that what is happening in Kaduna is something extraordinary, is something that is not expected in democracy, is something that is a very crude abuse of power and basically that is why we said after these five days because the strike is still on and all the services that our workers provides have been withdrawn so we said after these five days certainly the national action will go because we cannot have thin guts that nobody can be able to speak to. As it is you remember in most part of the country where you have such a situation religious leaders will come in even traditional leaders will come in people of good will will come in but he listens to nobody and that is why most of those people that have intervened they have intervened from the fact of they are speaking as organization or as group because they know that nobody can approach him and he listens to nobody where you will disagree as a person you spoke against him your house will be the militia in Kaduna so that's why everybody is actually being conjunct not to act or speak to the issue of tyranny that is taking place so we are consistent and we continue this plan as suggested we have also put the federal government on notice because the state belong to also a country if the country is in disarray or if there is a breakdown of law and order because of the irresponsibility of one person i think everybody in Nigeria should wake up to actually call him to order all right that is the point of gravitation finally because we are not in a banana the couple yeah finally i want you to quickly speak on law and constitution if somebody will hire dogs to unleash terror on peaceful protesters has he not reached the law so who hired the dogs mr. Wabah those are the issues we are going to find out those things of officiality mr. Wabah can you hear us processes to also demand justice mr. Wabah can you hear us we need to we need to get to a good authority here if you're saying people hire thugs yesterday and that you got information at five a.m. that people hire thugs to your office so who hired the thugs to attack the protest in Kaduna thank you very much from the clip we have seen which i've shared with the security agencies even when they are sharing the money it's very clear to do not take so many hire thugs that is not contragratable it's a fact they have not denied this fact and basically some of the the handful of protesters that came has people that are even escorting them all right thank you very much are you Baoba in 2017 when they brought thugs and we have handed the thugs some weapons the person leading them was an AC so basically we are in a surrender to know what is happening all right thank you very much are you Baoba we don't mix Waoba thank you thank you very much for speaking with us this morning and we hope that of course so we can reconnect with you at the end of the day or tomorrow to get more information thanks once again all right this is where we wrap up the program this is very interesting Wednesday morning just speaking with the NLC president there are you Baoba if you missed out on it then you want to catch up on these conversations remember to join us on our social media platforms at plus tv africa on facebook twitter instagram and youtube i am Usagi Ogbama and i am Annette Felix have a great day