Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has shaded the presidential candidate of the Labour Party LP, Peter Obi, at the Workers’ Day celebration.
How Ngige Reacted When He Saw Peter Obi
In a viral video seen on twitter, the former Anambra State Governor jokingly told Peter Obi to go to the field and canvass for votes and leave them to celebrate their Labour Day.
More Read
The joke was shared between both former Anambra Governors at the Eagle Square in Abuja where labour unions have all gathered to celebrate the 2023 Workers’ Day.
The Quote from Ngige and How Obi Reacted
Upon exchanging pleasantries from the Labour Party presidential candidate, Ngige who was initially seated chanted to Obi:
Leave us to do our Labour Day here oo, go to the field and look for votes.
On his own part, a smiling Obi replied in his usual:
My own senior brother.
After the banter, Ngige offered Obi a seat and quickly brought out a face cap and placed it on his head.
See the video below as captured by Ikukuoma on twitter:
Dr Ngige to Mr Peter Obi – Leave us to do our Labour Day here ooo go to the field and look for votes 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Mr Peter Obi to Dr Ngige – My own senior brother
Ngige – Okwute you are welcome, come and have a seat 🥹🥹🥹 Quickly brings out a cap and covers Mr Peter Obi head pic.twitter.com/80IsQJJPTM
— Chief Ikukuoma (@IkukuomaC) May 1, 2023
Ngige’s Message During the Labour Day Celebration
The Minister was interviewed by Arise TV and reacted that “the sense of entitlement syndrome in the country is too much”.
His statement is on the heels of threat by the health workers to embark on strike following a proposed bill in the National Assembly to curb brain drain in the health sector.
In his words, Ngige said
It’s left for the education ministry and universities to fashion out what they can do where we now train people free of charge because they pay N48,000 to N50,000 a session for medical training. Whereas their counterpart abroad pays $100,000 in the US and £78,000 in the UK.
They borrowed the money from the bank and when they graduate as medical doctors, they are paying back. That’s why they’re not even leaving their country.
And here we train you free.
I obtained that free training. In fact my own I was even on scholarship. Why won’t I be patriotic to serve my country?
So you asked that the bill taken to the National Assembly by a member be removed that it is one of the reasons you want to go on strike?
How can a government tell a member who has done a private member’s bill, it’s not even an executive bill, to withdraw it?
You now enlist it as one of the conditions to go on strike. That’s absurd.
Background Hints on Chris Ngige and Peter Obi as Governors of Anambra State
Before switching to the All Progressives Congress, Chris Ngige was a Senator who represented Anambra Central Constituency in 2011.
Before then, he was the Governor of Anambra State from May 2003 to March 2006 under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
On his own part, Peter Obi was a running mate to Atiku Abubakar in the 2015 elections under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and was Governor of Anambra State from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and then June 2007 to March 2014. He was governor under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
At the 2023 General elections, he ran for the Presidency through the Labour Party but was the adjudged to be third after the winner Bola Ahmed Tinubu and runner-up, Atiku Abubakar.
