From Aminu Dalhatu
Governor Nasiru El-Rufai has provided a comprehensive briefing to President Muhammadu Buhari on the rightsizing policy of the State and the steps taken so far to implement it.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye says the governor assured President Buhari that, the kaduna State was determined not to allow a repeat of the pains, economic losses and the restraints of freedom that the NLC inflicted on the people of the State.
According to the Statement, the state government will seek accountability for the NLC’s actions in the state by setting up a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the events of May 2021, explaining that it is hiring over 10,000 staff because rightsizing obliges the government to continuously recruit teachers, doctors, nurses and other qualified staff to provide vital services.
Alluding to the NLC’s renewed threat of strike action, the statement said that, the NLC had demonstrated that, it does not even believe in equality among its own members by describing the transfer of one Kaduna State government employee to a place where other civil servants are serving as victimisation.
“Recalling that its representatives made it clear at the 20th My 2021 conciliation meeting that, whatever they signed required the approval of the Kaduna State Executive Council, the statement stated that, government has since informed Minister of Labour that, the State Executive Council is unable to approve the MoU”
“ The content of the MoU shows that there is no congruence between the progressive aspirations of the Kaduna State Government and the misguided sense of entitlement of the NLC which does not even believe in equality amongst its own members”
It says, the dominant theme of Kaduna State government officials at the conciliation meeting was the rejection of the criminal actions that defined the NLC’s actions.
“It was notable that the NLC delegation was eager for the discourse not to dwell on their violations of laws prohibiting the disruption of essential services and their recourse to coercion and restraints to the freedom of citizens. But these are matters that cannot be ignored or swept under the carpet”
The Special Adviser reiterated that
Kaduna State Government had not yet disengaged any state civil servant but has dispensed with the services of 99 political appointees so far, stressing that, Only the 23 local government councils and the agencies associated with the local government system such as SUBEB and the Primary Health Care Board have released staff.
The statement appealed for the continued patience and understanding of all citizens as steps are being taken for the fair conclusion of the exercise.