The Chairman, of Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Hon Anthony Muobike has denied allegations making the rounds on social media, that he said workers do not deserve any wage increase and that they will be replaced by robots.
On Monday, labour leaders had gone to the State Assembly to enforce the directive on strike action, and in the process, an altercation occurred between the lawmaker and some of the labour leaders.
Later the news began to trend that the lawmaker made demeaning comments about the workers, with videos shared showing an altercation between the lawmaker and some labour leaders.
The video however did not show the lawmaker making any denigrating comments against workers.
Following the reports, a TNC correspondent in Anambra spoke with the lawmaker, Muobike, on Wednesday in Awka, and he made it clear that he never said such things against the workers, describing the reports as false.
According to him, the lies were peddled by one of the labour leaders who he confronted over a case of forgery of the certificate.
“It was in the morning of Monday 3rd June 2024, while we were in the office working and suddenly we started hearing some noise emanating from the security gate and we looked and saw some people carrying sticks and some other items, chanting songs and approaching the offices of the assembly members.
“We rightly assumed that they may be labour leaders because there was a strike action going on. So we came down quietly to address them just in a proper and quiet manner.
“The situation however became rowdy as they were saying that they would bring the complex down if we don’t vacate the premises with immediate effect.
“Then one particular unionist amongst them, whom I identified as Adigwe Chikwelu Sampson, the State President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Anambra State, recognized me and started shouting at us to leave the complex.
“This man I know is also facing an allegation from his colleagues that he did not graduate from the university where he claimed to have gotten his degree.
“His colleagues are alleging that he forged the certificate of Abia State University with which he got employment with the Anambra State Local Government Service Commission.
“So, when he was shouting at us and saying that he would beat us up, I quietly told him that he is not supposed to be a labour leader because his position is being questioned by his colleagues, and that there is a letter from Abia State University that his certificate is a forgery.
“This got him infuriated and he started threatening me that if I don’t leave the complex, he will tear my clothes and beat me up. It was at that point that I told him that he could not do such a thing.
“Thereafter I began to see stories where people claimed I said labour leaders are robots, that they are a bunch of nuisance and that they don’t deserve minimum wage and all that.
“All these are lies because I never said or insinuated things like that,” the lawmaker said.
Muobike, who represents Aguata Constituency Two in the State House, insisted that he has so much respect for labour and workers in the state, as the productive sector of the society, adding that it is the right of the workers to protest whatever injustice they feel is being meted to them by government.
He however disagreed with their invasion of the State House of Assembly with sticks and other harmful objects, as if they were coming to chase criminals.
Muobike who said that the leadership of the House of Assembly has already waded into the matter, said he stands in total solidarity with Anambra workers and will never make any denigrating, demeaning, or dehumanizing statement against them.
“We are all workers. As a representative of my constituency, there are a lot of workers from my constituency who also form part of the Anambra state workforce. I represent them and I stand to protect their interests.
“So in the larger outlook, we as a House of Assembly are there to protect the interest of our people which includes the workers.
“So I stand in solidarity with the workers of Anambra State and I want to tell them I never made any such statements against them,” he concluded.
