Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the detention of Federal Workers Forum Coordinator Andrew Emelieze by the Department of State Services (DSS), demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the detention of Federal Workers Forum Coordinator Andrew Emelieze by the Department of State Services (DSS), demanding his immediate and unconditional release. In a statement on Sunday, Atiku criticized President Bola Tinubu’s economic and labour policies, linking Emelieze’s arrest to unresolved wage issues.
“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hastily and thoughtlessly removed fuel subsidy on the day of his inauguration, he triggered an economic avalanche that has since buried the average Nigerian under the weight of inflation, hunger, and despair,” Atiku stated.
He said the administration had promised a temporary wage award to federal workers but failed to fulfill the commitment. “Only six months have been paid… the government owes four months of wage awards, amounting to ₦140,000 per worker,” he added.
Atiku described Emelieze’s arrest for organizing a peaceful protest as tyranny, declaring, “His only ‘crime’ was speaking up for workers abandoned by the state.”
He warned, “His continued detention is… a chilling reminder of the authoritarian drift of the Tinubu administration.”