Despite efforts by the Niger government to persuade Organized Labour in the state to call off its indefinite strike, workers began the walkout on Wednesday as planned.
This was followed by stalemate discussions between Niger State Government officials led by Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, and Organized Labour officials led by the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Idrees Lafene.
As a result, the two-state secretariats and other offices were shut down, with the monitoring teams of the NLC going around to ensure compliance.
Besides the shutdown of the Offices, the Minna General Hospital and clinics across the state were also closed.
Similarly, all public Primary and secondary schools were shut down while a few pupils and students who went to school unknowingly went back home as there were no teachers available.
While the gates of the Minna General Hospital were shut, some skeletal services were however still being rendered as some nurses were seen attending to emergency cases.
In an interview, State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Idrees Lafene said the strike will continue until their demands are met.
“The Strike has witnessed total compliance and it will continue until our demands are met.
“We have no option than to embark on the strike because the present state administration has not shown appreciable commitment to our demands which are legitimate and have been lingering for some time.
“Out of the 15 points demand presented to the administration, only one has been met and we will continue with the strike until the government shows enough commitment to meet our demands,” the NLC Chairman declared.
