…AGF MUST ACT AGAINST SABOTAGING ELECTRICITY WOKERTS, OR ELSE – TIETIE
By Michael Egiethua
In this interview with Reuben Abati, Ace journalist/columnist and Anchor on Arise Television, Abuja based lawyer and Executive Director of Citizens Advocacy for Social and Economic Rights, CASER, Frank Tietie, bears his mind on the recent one day strike
by the electricity workers union.
The strike has been called off due to public out cry against the workers union.
THE INTERVIEW:
Reuben Abati: Your group, CASER, is threatening to go to court to seek an order of Mandamus to compel the Attorney General of the Federation to commerce criminal proceedings against James Ajharo and co. Are you still going to go to court? Or you think that the matter will be resolved in 2 weeks?
Frank Tietie: Yes, indeed, the reason is that, I have been to court against the Minister of Education before now, I’ve been to court against the National Association of Resident Doctors, I’ve been to court against members of JOHESU, asking the court to force them to comply with the legal standards, the court refused saying that I don’t have sufficient interest.
That is the reason why, the only person who should have sufficient interest is the Attorney General of the Federation, so we have informed the Attorney General, do your job Sir! If you don’t do it, we will force you to do your job whether in accordance with sections 150 or 174 of the constitution. You have the power; you have to act in the public interest. You don’t have to allow powerful Trade Unions bring down this country as if it is being invaded by an enemy force.
If this continues, all the unions would have now seen how lucrative strike actions are, you go to strike for 6 months, you demand whatever you want to demand, you get it and then when you get it, you say now for the time I didn’t work, pay me!
The government begs them, the government is afraid of them, it ought not to be so, why should I have a Nigerian government that will be subject to another union? Which means Nigeria is losing sovereignty. I cannot, with all the understanding of Law and Jurisprudence I have allow this kind of thing happen. No! Somebody must tell both the government and these unionists that even though we are not on anybody’s side, we cannot accept this. You don’t bring down a country like this and tell me this is the only country I have. We will go to court if the Attorney General does not do the right thing so that we can put an end to this embarrassing imbroglio that keeps haunting Nigerians and the government.
