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Emma Sunday
The organised labour has threatened to take decisive action over the declaration of State of Emergency and suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly by President Bola Tinubu.
This is as the unions condemned the declaration of state of emergency in the Rivers state, and called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse his actions and reinstate the suspended Governor, his deputy and the assembly members.
The threat by the Labour unions was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman, Rivers State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Alex Agwanwor, the state chairman of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Comrade Ikechukwu Onyefuru, and the Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council, Chuku Emecheta.
The labour unions expressed concerns over the impact the emergency rule in Rivers State will have on the nation’s economy, as well as other consequences on the state.
They described the declaration of emergency rule and suspension of the Rivers State Governor, his deputy and the assembly as premature and baseless, adding that the removal of elected officials undermines the nation’s democracy.
The Organized labour noted that the unions may be compelled to take strategic union actions which might disrupt national economic activities if their demands are not met within a reasonable timeframe.
They however, appealed to the President, National Assembly, and Judiciary to urgently reverse the state of emergency and suspension of elected officials and return the state to normalcy.
The statement reads; “The Rivers State Organized Labour expresses deep concern over the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on March 18, 2025 and wish to state as follows;
“Rivers state Organized labour strongly condemn the premature and baseless declaration of state of emergency and suspension of the Executive Governor, Deputy Governor, and House of Assembly members who were elected by in Rivers people.
“The state of emergency has impacted the local government workers who are yet to receive their salaries, as a result, are exposed to avoidable economic hardship.
“Considering the strategic importance of Rivers State in Nigeria’s economy and the Niger Delta region, the state of emergency has the potential to negatively impact the economy at a time that the nation is struggling with high inflations, naira devaluation, high exchange rate, rising unemployment, high cost of living, and unaffordable electricity tariff.
“The state of emergency puts the state at a very disadvantage position as potential investors who have indicated interest in ‘New Rivers Vision’ have all backed out of planned investments in the state thereby impairing the growing state IGR.”
The union leaders said while the Organized Labour in the state supports maintaining law and order, it insists that actions such as declaration of state of emergency and suspending elected officials must align with the Nigerian Constitution and protect workers from avoidable wage invalidity, nonpayment of salaries at all levels, safety and security threats.
They maintained that government must prioritize the safety and welfare of its citizens over political interests.
They advised the federal government to engage in genuine dialogue to prevent further escalation of the issues in Rivers State, while calling on workers in the state to remain calm and continue their duties while awaiting a favorable response on the concerns raised.
