By Kamsi Anayo
Anambra state civil servants on Tuesday complied with the nationwide strike directive of the Central Working Committee of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), ordering all workers to proceed on strike from midnight on Monday.
A visit to the state secretariat complex in Awka, showed few workers who had reported for work standing by the gate on Tuesday morning as the gate was partially closed. The only persons inside the premises were security personnel.
Our correspondent observed that as other workers began to arrive for work thereby increasing in number, members of the NLC arrived the vicinity of the secretariat complex and forced them back home, leaving only the security personnel.
Similarly, our correspondent paid a visit to one of the new-generation banks in Awka whose doors were firmly closed with only the security personnel seen on duty.
Also, activities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, were disrupted as students were seen loitering the campus.
A student of the institution under condition of anonymity told our Correspondent that the lectures was rescheduled to no fix date.
However, full economic and commercial activities were recorded in the commercial city of Onitsha, as banks opened for customers while primary and secondary schools were also in session.
A visit to the Federal High Court in Onitsha also saw some of the lawyers and workers standing outside the premises as the gate remained shut as of 10am on Tuesday.
It was also observed that other economic activities, business premises, markets and schools remained open in Onitsha.
The Anambra State Chairman of the NLC, Humphrey Nwafor, who spoke to journalists on the development, said the body had gone round the government offices in the state capital to ensure compliance and they will replicate same tomorrow in Onitsha.
Nwafor said, “There is strict compliance in Awka as we have gone round public offices to ensure compliance. It is just the banking sector and by tomorrow we are going to go round to ensure compliance, today we have gone round government offices to ensure compliance.
“So, i believe by tomorrow, the compliance will be higher, maybe the banks and so on, we will just visit them to see why they are not complying to the directive because they have their own union.
“As for health institutions, we are expecting all patients to be discharged latest tonight and the hospitals will fully comply by Wednesday.”
