Port Harcourt – A solidarity walk was on Friday staged in Port Harcourt by the Organized Labour in Rivers State to reject recent peace accord reached by the former governor of the state, Nyesome Wike and his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, over the political crises in the state.
The Organized Labour in their hundreds was seen walking along some major roads to protest against the peace treaty agreement signed by Governor Fubara in Abuja.
The workers who finally terminated their march at Government House expressed their rejection of the agreement, which, according to them, heavily in favour of Wike.
They went ahead to declared their support to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, while rejecting the eight-point Abuja peace accord.
They were led by the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress Rivers State chapter, Comrade Alex Agwanwor, leaders of the Trade Union Congress, and other affiliate bodies, who confirmed that the civil servants had started receiving their N100,000 Christmas bonus from the state government as promised by the governor.
They were received by the State Head of Service, George Nweke, at the Government House’s gate. The trade union leader said the governor was elected by the people and that the agreement he was allegedly forced to sign did not take into cognizance the overall interest of the people, saying the governor was forced to sign the peace treaty agreement under duress in Abuja.
The workers promised to support the governor in any way to fight for the good course of the state.
They went on to also said the visit by the labour unions was to thank Governor Fubara for approving N100,000 for all civil servants in the state to celebrate the Yuletide.
While speaking, the chairman of the joint negotiating council, Chukwu Emecheta, said the Christmas package would boost the morale of the workers.
Also speaking, Comrade Chijioke Ihunwo, chairman of National Youths Council Rivers, advised the governor never to call back all the former commissioners who voluntarily resigned, citing personal principles and conscience as directed in the agreement.
He queried why the President directed the 27 PDP lawmakers who defected to APC to remain in their new party and the Governor should represent the budget already passed and signed into law to them without asking them to return to PDP.
They noted that Fubara’s administration is reviving the state Secretariat abandoned for eight years by the immediate past administration, despite the hues and cries of civil servants.
The workers said they were forced to manually climb to the 12th floor of the Podium Block and up to the 17th floor of Point Blocks without working elevators in the two high-rise buildings to access their offices before now.
