The Delta State Secretariat in Asaba was shut down on Friday as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress protested the death of a deputy director, Unity Ekpevbughe Adeda.
The workers barricaded the entrances to the secretariat, disrupting official activities while demanding that the circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death be properly investigated.
Adeda, a staff member of the Ministry of Secondary Education, reportedly died in hospital on Friday, a day after an alleged confrontation at the Prof Chike Odozien Secretariat in Asaba.
The development has triggered concerns among civil servants, with labour leaders also demanding assurances that government workers are safe while carrying out their duties.
The protest was linked to allegations that Adeda was assaulted during a confrontation involving the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Kingsley Ashibogwu.
Sources familiar with the incident alleged that Ashibogwu asked Adeda if he knew him during the encounter, to which the deputy director reportedly replied that he did not.
However, the allegation of assault has not been independently established. The circumstances surrounding Adeda’s death are also yet to be conclusively determined.
Addressing workers during the protest, Delta State NLC Chairman, Goodluck Ofobruku, said the union was concerned about both the circumstances of Adeda’s death and the safety of workers in government establishments.
Ofobruku said the NLC would engage the state government in an effort to resolve the matter.
He added that workers could resume their duties on Monday if the government provided adequate assurances about their safety. Otherwise, he said, the workers would remain at home.
“We must assure workers that they are safe in their places of work. And whoever is responsible for this beating that led to his untimely death must be brought to book before we come back,” Ofobruku said.
The Chairman of the Joint Civil Service Negotiating Council in Delta State, Benson Efeotor, said the council was making efforts to establish what happened to Adeda.
Efeotor said he had visited the Ministry of Education to obtain information about the deceased, whom he identified as a worker at the Science Centre.
He urged the protesting workers to remain calm and avoid actions that could lead to violence or damage to government property while discussions with the state government continued.
The state government, through the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, assured the workers that the matter would be investigated.
Aniagwu, who addressed the protesters and union leaders, said the immediate task was to establish the facts surrounding Adeda’s death and determine its cause.
He noted that several accounts had emerged about what happened and said an autopsy and medical examination would help establish the circumstances.
“There are different conjectures as to what may have led to the death of our brother who passed in the hospital. Perhaps, as the autopsy would have been able to establish, what transpired and indeed medical examination will determine the cause of death,” he said.
The commissioner said the government would not conceal the findings of any investigation and that appropriate action would follow once the facts had been established.
“I can assure you that nothing is going to be swept under the carpet. It will be known what happened and then the necessary action will be taken,” Aniagwu said.
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He appealed to the workers and union leaders to maintain peace, while commending them for conducting the protest without violence.
Aniagwu also said the protection of human life should remain a priority, irrespective of an individual’s position or relationship with others.
The Delta State Government is expected to continue discussions with the labour unions as efforts are made to clarify the events that preceded Adeda’s death.
For the workers, the key issues remain the circumstances of the deputy director’s death, accountability if wrongdoing is established, and assurances regarding safety within government workplaces.
