The Enugu state indigenes resident inAnambra State under the aegis of Enugu State Committee for Democracy and Good Governance has condemned the continued detention of labour leaders by Governor Sullivan Chime over the minimum wage agitation.Addressing journalists in Onitsha, the National Chairman and Secretary of the group, Mr. Emmanuel Ndubisi and Ejiofor Clark respectively said that the action of the state governor on the labour leaders was a clear case of intimidation and abuse of power by the state government, arguing that the stance of the state government contravened the ruling of the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP).According to the group, the recent clamp down on two labour leaders, Mr Osmond Ugwu and Rapheal Elobike was uncalled for in a democratic government, adding that the actions of the governor implied that the state was still under the grip of uncivilised elements who do not respect the aspirations of the people.They also picked holes in the administration of governor Chime in the development of rural areas, arguing that, of all the council areas in the state, development had eluded all the rural areas despite the huge allocation accruable to the state.'We condemn the actions of Governor Chime for his intolerance and undemocratic stance. For too long, Chime had ruled Enugu state like an Empirical Majesty, he receives allocations and he is not using it to do anything and if you talk, he will use the state government wealth to clamp you into detention''He had clamped the son of the foremost stakeholder in the state, the son of late C.C Onoh and a journalist that wrote the report in detention and now, he has turned to labour leaders in the state. The minimum wage is the only thing that workers in the state will benefit as other things have eluded them under the administration of Governor Chime' they said.The group also accused the governor of towing the path of his predecessor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, adding 'Chime has shown us that he is actually coming from Ebeano camp by being a maximum governor and all the actions he is exhibiting are true reflections of his predecessor'Mr. Ndubuisi also called for unconditional release of the labour leaders incarcerated by governor Chime on the ground that Enugu state workers were not the only workers that went on strike in pursuant of the controversial minimum wage.The group also decried what they described as high level of insecurity in the state and said it was one of the reasons why the religious leaders and other stakeholders who had intervened in the labour crisis had remained silent.'We also condemn the culture of silence in Enugu state across class over this contravention of the constitution of this country and we commend all the human rights activists in the South East who stood against this injustice and we shall resist any act tilted towards making us fugitives in our own land.
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