…I Never Insulted Workers – Lawmaker
The Organized Labour in Anambra State have demanded an apology from the member of the Anambra State House of Assembly representing Aguata 2 Constituency, Hon Anthony Muobike, whom they accused of insulting the state’s work force during the picketing of the House by the workers last Monday to enforce the nationwide strike declared by the organized labour. The organized labour in Anambra State are therefore threatening to embark on an industrial dispute against the House should Muobike fails to render an apology for calling the workers robots who did not deserve any minimum wage, Jude Atupulazi reports.
This comes as the embattled lawmaker, Muobike, has denied calling the workers robots.
Reacting to the allegation, Muobike said he would never make such a denigrating statement against civil servants in the state.
Muobike rather blamed the opposition whom he accused of being bent on dragging his hard earned reputation on the mud.
His words, ‘I cannot comprehend the reason some people would purposely dish out falsehoods and blatant lies only for the reasons of cheap blackmail.
‘What really happened on Monday, 3rd June at the State House of Assembly Complex, Awka, was that striking NLC members, carrying sticks and other destructive objects, found their way into the complex chanting war songs.’
He said lawmakers who were present at the time, came to calm the situation but one of the NLC members confronted him and threatened to beat him up if he did not leave the assembly complex.
Muobike refuted allegations making the rounds that he pronounced civil servants as robots and called them a nuisance, describing the story as a lie from the pit of hell.
‘At no time did I ever say something like that. What actually happened was that on the morning of Monday, 3rd June, 2024, we were in the office working, because we go to work every day, and suddenly, we started hearing some noise emanating from the security gate and we looked and saw some people carrying sticks and some other items, chanting songs and approaching the offices of the assembly members.
‘We rightly assumed that they maybe labour leaders because there was a strike action going on. So we came down quietly to address them in a proper and quiet manner.
‘I and other lawmakers came down to address them. It was all rowdy. They were chanting and saying that they would bring the complex down if we didn’t vacate the premises with immediate effect.
‘Then, one particular unionist amongst them said to be the State President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Anambra State, recognized me and started shouting at us to leave the complex.
‘So, when he was shouting at us and saying that he would beat us up, I quietly told him that he was not supposed to be a labour leader because his position was being questioned by his colleagues.
‘When I told him that, he got mad and started threatening me that I should leave the complex. That if I did not leave the complex, he would tear my clothes and beat me up. So when the whole scenario got messier, I left the scene.
‘Thereafter, I began to see stories where people claimed I said labour leaders are robots. That they are a bunch of nuisance. That they don’t deserve minimum wage and all that. All these are lies because I never said or insinuated things like that.’
Muobike maintained that unionists were part of society and he respected them a lot, adding that labour leaders were there to protect the interest of workers.
He also acknowledged that Governor Chukwuma Soludo was doing well for workers in the state as confirmed by the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) the day he visited Soludo at the Government House recently.
He said he did not make such demeaning statements, insisting that the purveyors of ‘such falsehoods were being sponsored by opposition elements to perpetuate lies against me’.
Muobike, who said that the leadership of the House of Assembly had already waded into the matter, expressed solidarity with the Anambra workers, maintaining that he would never make any such denigrating, demeaning or dehumanizing statements against them.
‘They are not robots. They are not nuisances. Nobody should call them that name. I did not call them and I will never call them such names,’ he maintained.
But notwithstanding Muonike’s denials, the organized labour in the state are threatening to embark on an industrial dispute against the Anambra State House of Assembly over what it has described as the vituperation of Hon Muobike against them.
In a press statement made available to Fides, the workers said they wanted to set the record straight on what transpired between the organized labour, Anambra State and the House of Assembly members on the 3rd day of June, 2024.
The statement, signed by Comrade Gaius Chukwuka (JP), NLC Secretary; and Barr. Comr. Alex C. Ebi, TUC Secretary, read, ‘Before now, Organized Labour was silent on the dehumanizing utterances of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA lawmaker representing Aguata 2 Constituency, Hon Anthony Muobike, who we all knew how he ascended into the House of Assembly, until we started reading trash on the social media for his indefensible act on aggrieved Anambra Workers.
‘His immature attitude shows the disconnect between him and his constituency. Without cause, he callously accused Anambra Workers as not deserving a minimum wage and could be replaced by robots. The question was, were the workers protesting against Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the state governor he was allegedly defending? He is totally dishonorable and lacking all the qualities of a lawmaker in modern times to have uttered such gutter words.
‘Recall that the declaration of indefinite strike by the organized labour at the National, NLC/TUC Communique dated 31 March 2024, directed all affiliate Unions to embark on indefinite strike over issues bordering on hike in electricity tariff and New National Minimum Wage.
‘The organized labour, Anambra State, were on a peaceful monitoring to ensure total compliance that all public offices were closed. On getting to the Anambra House of Assembly Complex, we discovered that there were activities going on in the complex, with their access gate wide open.
‘The problem started when the members of the congress were chanting a solidarity song, demanding that the complex should be shut down, as Anambra State is not an exception.’
The statement read, ‘The workers were surprised over the reaction of Hon. Anthony Muobike, member representing Aguata 2 Constituency this morning in one media reportage, claiming that the Organized Labour, Anambra State came to the Assembly Complex with destructive objects and canes.’
They described it as a confirmation of the statement credited to him, Muobike, already in the media, of how he threatened and treated the Anambra State workers with contempt.
‘He even went to the extent of calling out the President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, Comrade Chikwelu Samson Adigwe, with fictitious claims against his person. Why threatening workers led by their leaders of physical violence? It shows his level of intolerance and toutish behaviour in the face of people with genuine demands and a nationwide protest.
‘It is quite unfortunate and if Hon. Anthony Muobike is honorable as he claimed, he should be apologizing to Nigerians and Workers of Anambra State over his sabotage on the struggle of the labour unions to alleviate hardship on Nigerians. The organized labour went to the House of Assembly, not Comrade Chikwelu Samson Adigwe, as being circulated in the unfortunate social media news alert,’ the organized labour, Anambra stated in the press release.
They said that eternal vigilance being the price of liberty, the labour leaders in Anambra had taken the lead to organize, rather than agonize, as Muobuike wanted to paint them.
‘If there was no video evidence by innocent videos posted by security and aides of the lawmakers available online, we wouldn’t have known how to be reacting to this most unfortunate comment by a so-called lawmaker in 21st Century. Rather than put up an apology to workers in Anambra State that he was sorry for his wrong approach to their plights, he now defecated on the sensibilities of workers with his reckless statement in the name of defence, escalated by a reckless journalist, who should know better.
‘A progressive and professional journalist, would have avoided name calling in putting forward Hon Anthony Muobike’s jaundiced defence for his immature act before the global audience. He has done his worst to break Organized Labour ranks but has failed woefully. He should await the reactions of the workers he trampled on soonest.
‘Organized Labour stand by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE President, Comrade Chikwelu Samson Adigwe, as a leader and member of SWC of Organized labour and all the labour leaders who went on picketing on the said date. He did not go to the Anambra House of Assembly as a person; it was the Organized Labour, Anambra State that went to the House of Assembly with its affiliate Unions,’ the release further stated..
The Organized Labour however commended some House members whom they described as true honourable members, for intervening in what they described as an honourable manner.
The Organized labour, Anambra State said they had no issue with Gov. Soludo, who, they said, had been in cordial working relationship with Anambra State Workers.
‘We wish to inform the leadership of the Anambra State House of Assembly, led by Mr Speaker, Right Hon Somtochukwu Udeze, as a matter of urgency, to call Hon. Anthony Muobike to order and immediately ensure without let, that he apologizes to Nigerian Workers in Nigeria and Anambra State in particular; and Comrade Chikwelu Samson Adigwe, whom he insulted, or the Organized Labour shall have no option than to declare an industrial dispute against the Anambra State House of Assembly in earnest,’ the workers said.
