By Beatrice Gondyi
The Kebbi State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has told a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), that he failed workers as Minister and should stop deceiving civil servants with fresh promises ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
State NLC Chairman, Comrade Murtala Usman, who addressed journalists in Birnin Kebbi, dismissed Malami’s recent pledges to workers as baseless political statements aimed at misleading citizens on issues already addressed by the present administration.
“Though it is against our union policy to join issues with politicians, Malami’s claims amount to a direct attack on the union, and we cannot keep quiet,” Usman said. “Civil servants in Kebbi have never had it so good as under Governor Nasir Idris, who has ensured the prompt payment of all rights and privileges.”
He said the former Minister had eight years at the federal level to show commitment to workers but had nothing to show for it.
“He cannot come now, seeking office, and expect workers to believe fresh promises when his record speaks otherwise. He failed workers as Minister,” the NLC chairman added.
The NLC and other stakeholders said Malami’s failure to reference the Idris administration’s achievements was deliberate, given the much publicised development witnessed in the state on one hand, and his perceived failure to make any visible support to individuals and community development throughout his eight years as Minister of Justice on the other.
In his Independence Day message, Governor Idris expressed profound gratitude to the people of Kebbi for their sustained support for his administration.
“I am deeply grateful to the people of Kebbi for their sustained support. Our key sectors, including education, infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture and peaceful coexistence, have witnessed unprecedented development, improving the socio-economic well-being of our people,” the governor said.
He credited APC stakeholders, traditional and religious leaders, civil servants, women and youth groups and security agencies for the successes recorded by his government since assumption of office, and solicited sustained support to deepen harmonious relationships and ensure results-oriented governance.
Malami, SAN, who is the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in his statewide Independence Day broadcast, made fresh pledges to civil servants.
He promised to provide a “befitting Secretariat” and ensure prompt payment of workers’ rights and privileges if elected in 2027, in what political observers described as an attempt to launder his battered image.
Discussion about this post