WATER BOARD MD URGES IMMEDIATE ARREST OF NLC OFFICIALS
Managing Director of the Cross River state Water Board Limited, Chief Victor Effiom Ekpo, in a chat with newsmen Wednesday in Calabar, called on the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Uche Anozie to immediately arrest and prosecute members of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) who invaded the company’s premises and destroyed its Water treatment materials yesterday to serve as a deterrent to others.
Chief Ekpo explained that the utility value of pipe born Water to the people was the crux for government incorporation of Water Board as a Special limited liability company to aleniate it from political and bureaucratic tendencies.
“Who will replace the chemicals and water treatment reagents worth hundreds of thousands of Naira they wasted yesterday? The police must take action to restore law and order in the state before we all succumb to thuggery and brigandage under the Cross River State State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress.
“For members of the Nigerian Labour Congress in Cross River State to invade our premises and insist on forcing us to stop providing this essential services to the citizens of the state is therefore very unfortunate, to say the least.
“This reprehensible act of the NLC leaves a sour taste in the mouth particularly when viewed against the fact that the Water Board Limited has not committed any infraction or breach of the labour act nor does it have any pending labour matter with the labour union to warrant such an attack on it staff and premises.
“It also means that NLC can invade and shut down federal or private institutions including the University of Calabar, just because it has an axe to grind with the state Government”.
The MD added that he was shocked that Comrade Okpobi, who is an experienced unionist could lead an Army of his colleagues on a lawless voyage to the premises of Water Board, destroy its materials and prevent the staff from rendering this essential services to the people whose interests the NLC claims to be protecting.