Protesters blame hardship for workers’ lateness as Umahi keeps them out

There was anxiety at the Ministry of Works in Abuja on Thursday as government servants in protest halted operations after Minister of Works Dave Umahi locked out over 300 employees and directors who came in late.

In addition to confining the minister to his office, the public employees also demanded an apology from him.

Earlier, it was reported that the minister forbade late-arriving employees from entering the ministry for a period of time beyond four hours following the ministry’s resumption at 9.30am.

After the gate was opened, though, the workers—who were drawn from the Housing and Works Ministries—refused to enter the building and staged an impromptu protest by blocking the entrances.

The minister was unable to leave the office to welcome Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, who paid the headquarters a courtesy call, our correspondent learned. They also blocked admission and egress from the premises.

Employees were astonished by Umahi’s move, according to a member of the impacted staff who spoke on the record under the condition of anonymity. He claimed that Umahi was unaware of the country’s current economic difficulties and the fact that the majority of staff live outside the city core.

“The minister, upon resuming around 9.30am, instructed security officers to lock the gate,” the staff reported.

“More than 300 staff people, including several directors, were requested to remain outside, and even when we attempted to enter, the gatemen claimed it was on the minister’s order and nobody should enter the premises.

The mob forced even Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos, to turn around.

“About four hours later, the minister apologised for not issuing any orders and came down to speak with us.

Everyone was forced to leave the building because the union leaders had turned off the lights, leaving no one with any options.

Giving more information, a staff member claimed it was inappropriate for the minister to lock out personnel, making the suggestion that things would have become worse if the minister hadn’t apologised.

“Even though the minister denied doing it, I thought what he did was disrespectful. Everyone in the nation is barely getting by. It’s unfortunate that all of these things happened today because the majority of our employees live far from town.

Following the lengthy demonstration, Umahi apologised and made a commitment to take some of the criticism levelled at the high expense of transportation into account.

Additionally, he urged the employees to embrace the innovative reforms being implemented by the President Bola Tinubu administration and to abstain from the Nigerian Labour Congress’s proposed statewide strike.