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| Ahmed Isah, Brekete Family |
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Isah is also the anchor man of the popular reality radio-talk-shop programme by the name: ‘Brekete Family.’
Isah made the appeal in Abuja at a meeting he held with hundreds of distressed workers of various establishments whose entitlements and rights were denied them by their employers.
NAN also reports that some of the workers have been laid off with their rights and entitlements withheld by their various employers.
The employers included the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the FCT Water Board, the Traffic Warden Department of the Nigerian Police, SETRACO, Arab Contractors, Julius Berger and Seawolf, among others.
Isah said he was disappointed that the NLC, which was supposed to be the umbrella body of Nigerian workers to protect their rights workers, has lost its focus to fight for the common workers.
``NLC exists because of these people and for the fact that they have not being doing what they are supposed to do is very sad.
``Whoever listens to the cry of this people will be disappointed with the NLC,`` he said.
The brekete family president said the meeting was about giving a voice and a listening ear to those that ordinarily never had a voice to air their grievances.
According to him, these are people who should be celebrated in their own country, but they turned out to be treated more like slaves by the expatriates.
``The sad aspect of the whole thing is the fact that this maltreatment is not just done by the expatriates alone, but including our own Nigerian brothers and sisters.
``By maltreating our fellow Nigerians, this is just a fraction of what majorities of them have suffered and are still suffering,
‘`So this meeting is to challenge the government, the NLC and Nigerians in authority to know and take action on their behalf,” Isah said.
He said that his brekete family would start hosting town hall meetings every month to draw the attention those concerned to the plight of affected workers.
Isah said that Nigerians should hold those in authourity accountable, if they fail to address the challenges facing the people.
``In today’s Nigeria, a lot of damage and injustice have been done and are still being done to this country and the workers; there is need for you and I to come together to see how we can address it.
``So it is all about giving a voice to those that are voiceless in order to take Nigeria to the next level,” Isah said.
He also called on the Federal Government to implement policies that would relief the burden of the ordinary Nigerians in their work places.
Isah also called on the National Human Rights Commission, the Public Complaints Commission and the Legal Aid Council to be alive to their responsibilities.
Some of the aggrieved workers, who spoke with NAN, said that their rights and privileges had been denied them by their employers.
Mr James Abur, a former employee of Glimor Engineering Ltd, said he was sacked wrongfully.
He said he was accused of stealing diesel, which he never did, he then took the company to court and for the past 10 years his entitlement had not been paid.
Another employee of SETRACO, Mr Ike Chukwudi, said he lost his leg in the cause of the job, and that he was sacked on the basis of redundancy without being paid his proper entitlements.
Mr Amin Kano, a former employee ACE construction company, said he lost his right hand and within two months he was sacked without his entitlements being paid. Kano called on the Federal Government to implement policies that will alleviate the suffering of the common workers in the society.
NAN reports that the aggrieved workers carried placards with inscriptions: ``Please Mr President help us’’, ``Please Nigerians come to our aid.’’
Others include ``Nigeria Civil Defence disengaged 404 workers are suffering,’’ ``Workers are suffering in the hands of expatriates.’
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