Posted by By UBONG UKPONG, Abuja on
Minister of State for foe the Interior, Hassan Alhaji Haruna on Friday, fled his office as irate workers of the ministry, laid siege and took him hostage at the Old Federal Secretariat Complex in Area 1, Garki, Abuja, in protest of the non-payment of their benefits.
Minister of State for foe the Interior, Hassan Alhaji Haruna on Friday, fled his office as irate workers of the ministry, laid siege and took him hostage at the Old Federal Secretariat Complex in Area 1, Garki, Abuja, in protest of the non-payment of their benefits.
The minister, who was said to have been in his office as at the time of the rampage, reportedly sneaked out through his office's back door and escaped from the Secretariat Complex through the hall-way of the
Nigeria Prisons Service building.
Unknown to them that the minister had fled, the angry workers who encamped round the ministry's front office chanting war songs, demanded that the minister be brought down to explain to them the reason for refusing to pay their benefits which they averred, money had already been released for payments.
Addressing newsmen at the ministry premises, the Nigeria Civil Service Union Chairman of the ministry, Oju Sunday, said they had already intimated the ministry with their demands.
Oju said the demands are non-payment of three months monetization arrears to state offices and headquarters staff from grade level 14 and above, three months rent allowance, outstanding refund of rent reduction, 15 percent consolidated salary not yet paid fully to staff and four percent transport allowance, amongst other demands.
Stating that there was no going back in the fight, the union chairman said they had mobilized the ministry's workers from both the states and local governments all over the federation to converge on Abuja, to press for this demand.
All efforts to reach the Chief Press Secretary to the minister for explanations were unsuccessful as he was said to have been away from the office, even as the minister, Major General Godwin Abbe (retd), was said to have traveled.