Banks, the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, and other Federal establishments within the State capital remained closed as of 10am as a result of the two-day warning strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The State Secretariat, the Ebonyi State Library Board, the Government House Cabinet office, and the Ebonyi State Polytechnic Ikwo are some other government facilities that have been shuttered.
Bank clients, court personnel, and attorneys who were in court today for various reasons were observed waiting outside the entrance gates of the banks and judicial complex.
Few nurses and consultants were observed providing skeletal services at the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki AE-FETHA as the majority of the administrative staff participated in the strike.
It was also noted that a small number of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) employees, particularly those at the emergency department of the distribution company, were seen providing skeletal services.
Mr. Clifford Chukwu, a patient at the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, lamented the federal government’s treatment of the populace and urged President Bola Tinubu to act quickly to put a stop to the nation’s suffering and hunger.
Since the warning strike began, only consultants, student doctors, and nurses have been caring for patients because residents doctors on call were not present at the facility, he observed.
A bank customer, Mrs. Bridget Onwe, claimed that when she came at the facility at around 8am, she was told that due to the strike action, the bank would not be open for business. She bemoaned, “I only brought my vehicle with me, and I don’t have an ATM card. My current concern is how to get home.”
The Ebonyi State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, led by State Chairman Prof. Egwu Oguguo, was also spotted keeping an eye on the level of industrial action compliance.
Dr. Ikechukwu Igwenyi, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at Ebonyi State University (ASUU-EBSU) and a member of the NLC State Monitoring Team, who was pleased with the level of compliance, insisted that the purpose of the strike was to protest the extreme hunger and suffering that Nigerians have been experiencing since the subsidy was cut off.
“We have traveled and are continue traveling to make sure that all affiliate bodies follow the National body’s directive. The Federal Teaching Hospital, the Federal University Ndufu-Alike, the judiciary, the Electricity Distribution Company EEDC, the State Secretariat, including the Government House Abakaliki, and the banks are all closed, as you can see.
“Nigerians are suffering; there is hunger throughout the country; people can no longer afford to eat a meal a day, yet the government acts as if nothing is wrong. We can’t keep quiet any longer. Nothing has been done since the federal government’s assurances and the labor union’s complaint.
“They claimed to have given funds to the State government, but based on our calculations and the distribution of the funds to individuals, I can assure you that no Ebonyi resident will receive more than N1,500 per individual. How many State residents would split the 3,000 bags of rice that the Federal Government has provided to the State?
“They should quit misleading the public; the Federal Government does not care about them. If so, they are aware of the proper course of action. Do what is right, and the people will be happy, is what Labour is requesting of the administration, he said.
