NEMA Workers Embark on Strike, Demand DG’s Sack

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

It was a mild drama thursday at the headquarters of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as workers of the agency barricaded the entrance of the office building with different placards as early as 8 a.m., singing solidarity songs while calling for the sack of its Director-General, Mustapha Maihaja.

The workers in unison stated that they were calling for the resignation of Maihaja as he has clearly shown that he does not have the adequate capacity and knowledge to run a humanitarian agency.

Some of the placards read: ‘Maihaja is a technician not a humanitarian’. ‘Enough is enough’ and several others calling for the DG’s sack. Chairman, Senior Civil Servants, NEMA branch, Mr. Saad Bello, while speaking at the sidelines of the protest in Abuja, told journalists that they are embarking on a nationwide strike beginning from yesterday for a better welfare.

According to him, “Maihaja has failed to live up to his expectations and the implementation of the recently signed agreement which was chaired by Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.”

He hinted that Agreements were reached and the management of NEMA and the Ministry of Labour and Employment signed, adding that the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and the NEMA unit of the association also signed the agreement

“This agreement bothers on the lots of liabilities of staff welfare; DTA, overtime, transfer allowances that had not been implemented and the agreement specified that it should be concluded within three weeks. Three weeks have elapsed, nothing has been done about it and we cannot have a vibrant agency without capacity being built,” he stated.

Speaking further, Bello said: “What we are doing here is fighting for our demands and the agreements that have been reached by NEMA management, the ministry of Labour and employment and the Association of Senior Civil Servants in Nigeria.

“We have a lot of issues that are bothering the minds of the workers of this agency and we tried to approach the management but they became adamant. We gave them the first 21 days’ notice all to no avail. Fourteen days’ notice all to no avail. Seven days warning to no avail until the minister called us to a roundtable to discuss the issues that were raised.”

“The three-day nationwide warning strike would commence from thursday and if management fails to meet their demands, the strike would be extended from next week with a total and indefinite shut down of all NEMA offices.

He however urged the federal government to do a thorough investigation on the issue bothering on the workers welfare and that if the DG felt he cannot implement the agreement, “he should step aside for a new and capable person to take over the helm of affairs of the agency.”

However, Maihaja failed to turn up to address the protesting workers and also failed to pick his calls, but sent a text message to address the issue raised by the agency’s staff after several attempts by journalists.