From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged workers, pensioners and electorate in Kebbi State to vote and mobilise support for Dr. Nasir Idris, former national deputy president of the Congress and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Ayuba Wabba, national president of the umbrella workers union, made the call at the opening of a Central Working Committee (CWC)/National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Birnin Kebbi, yesterday.
He solicited for the cooperation and support of serving and retired workers ascwell as all other allied unions towards the success of Idris in the 2023 general elections.
The NLC national leaders are in Kebbi State to show solidarity to one of their own who served in different capacities. Idris had served as the state Chairman of NLC; state Chairman of National Union of Teachers (NUT); National Treasurer of NUT; Deputy President of NLC and National President of NUT, respectively.
He thanked the people of the state, especially APC, for electing a unionist to be their flag bearer, adding that the entire management of NLC was in Birnin Kebbi to rejoice with the people for choosing one of their own.
“I am not surprise, His Excellency was not in town when we came in, but because of the importance he attached to this programme he flew back to Kebbi to attend this programme.
“His Excellency has special regards for this programme because his father was a teacher and he himself was a teacher and he wants to hand over to a teacher.
“Let me use this medium to inform you that after our NEC meeting, by tommorow, serving and retired workers, market women, students and other allied unions will stage a rally here in Birnin Kebbi in support of one of our own.
“I want to call on all workers, both serving and retired, to use their hands, use their legs and use all their capacity to support your own to victory.”
Declaring the NEC opened, Governor Atiku Bagudu commended the NLC leadership for honouring and choosing the state to hold their NEC meeting.
He also Bagudu thanked the NLC for their open support to Idris as their member of the union and gubernatorial candidate of APC in the state.
The APC gubernatorial candidate said the declaration of support by the NLC executives to the APC under Bagudu’s leadership in the state was a testimony that the workers in the country had identified his unprecedented contributions to workers in the state.
“The history in my unionism sojourn would not have been completed without the indelible contribution of the governor, who I hold dearly.
“Bagudu is a role model to many gubernatorial candidates and governors in terms of prudent management and utilisation of resources.”