A chaotic scene was recorded yesterday, January 18, at headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress, as the congress’ National President, Ayuba Wabba, engaged in a fight with civil servants who demanded explanations over a failed housing scheme for them.
Daily Sun reported that Chairman of NLC/TUC Good Homes Scheme, Chief Emeka Anuna and a handful of federal civil servants had protested in front of the NLC headquarters in Abuja over their N1 billion investment in a housing scheme at Apo Mechanic Village in Abuja.
Anuna said the civil servants had met all the requirements for the land but the Federal Government in conjunction with the NLC and an estate agent, known as Good Homes, refused to give them the houses.
The Chairman of NLC/TUC Good Homes further alleged that some of the civil servants borrowed money from the banks and co-operative societies in their offices since 2012 to pay for the houses, but 10 years after, they are yet to get the houses or their money.
Anuna also claimed that while some had died without getting their houses, others had retired or posted out of Abuja without getting their houses. He said this was against the promise that they would get keys to their houses six months after a 10 per cent payment.
He said;
“We were meant to key into a housing scheme at Apo Tafia (mechanic village) which is powered by the Federal Government and given to NLC and TUC. Most of our members have met all the financial requirements. The delivery period was for six months. This is 10 years and nothing has happened.
“Some people paid the full financial obligations. Some paid N46 million. Some, N12 million, some paid N12. 4 million for three-bedroom house. Some paid 10 per cent of the total sum. The agreement was that if you pay 10 per cent, in six months you’ll get your keys. It was a virgin land and all interested civil servants bought into it”
The workers had earlier protested at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister’s house between 8 am and 9 am before going to the NLC’s headquarters between 10 am and 11am.
The publication reported that after staging their protest, the NLC president ran after them, held the workers’ chairman by the jugular and hotly engaged him in a fight.
He allegedly instructed his security men to bundle the chairman to his office but the other workers with him stoutly resisted the security men.
It was further alleged that while Ayuba Wabba and Anuna engaged in an altercation, the thugs on the side of the NLC were busy snatching and smashing journalists’ cameras and phones which the journalists used to record the event.
The publication also reported that Ayuba allegedly threatened to sack Anuna’s wife from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), now known as International Trade Union Congress (ITUC).
