NLC Storms Wike’s Office, Demands N70,000 Minimum Wage and Council Chairmen’s Removal
Tensions escalated in Abuja on Thursday as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stormed the office of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, demanding the immediate implementation of a N70,000 minimum wage for Area Council staff, teachers, and health workers.
The protest kicked off at Labour House, where workers in large numbers marched to the minister’s office in Area 11. Brandishing placards and chanting solidarity songs, they met a barricade of locked gates and armed police officers. Undeterred, the protesters forced their way in and vowed to shut down all official activities until their demands were met.
“We want Wike to come out himself!” they chanted, rejecting efforts by Mandate Secretary Lawrence Garki to address them. Garki was booed off as chants of “thief, thief” drowned out his voice.
In addition to wage demands, the NLC protesters also called for the immediate removal of the six Area Council Chairmen, accusing them of neglecting the welfare and rights of their workers.
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