By Omrigbe Esther Iyiowo
The Abia State government has criticized a directive from the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) instructing civil and public servants in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and the 17 council areas not to participate in the online upload of credentials as mandated by the government.
ROUNDOFFNEWS recalled that, the NLC had instructed workers to disregard the state government’s order of online registration, arguing that the directive would exacerbate the challenges faced by workers who have already undergone multiple rounds of verifications.
Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, addressed journalists in Umuahia, stating that the government’s directive to upload credentials online arose from the discovery that some civil and public servants lacked the necessary credentials in their files. He clarified that this process was not another phase of verification.
“The government discovered that some employees don’t possess the right credentials, which was revealed during a review of workers’ files for upcoming appointments,” Kanu said. “This process showed that many did not have their required documents.”
Kanu criticized the NLC for not consulting with the government before taking the issue public. He asserted that the Abia NLC’s approach was unfair to a government committed to improving the welfare of its workers.
“The Abia NLC has not been fair to the state government, which has been dedicated to enhancing the welfare of Abia workers,” he said.
He urged the union to reconsider its stance, as its current approach would not foster a healthy relationship between the government and the work force.
Kanu expressed confusion over why the NLC, which has direct access to the government officials, chose to address the matter through the media. “This culture of rushing to the media to criticize the government is not beneficial and does not promote a good working relationship between the NLC and the state government,” he added.