The Minister of Works and Housing, David Umahi, locked the ministry workers out of office over lateness, resulting in protests calling for his removal.

The minister locked out many workers who arrived late on Thursday morning, leading to a protest by the aggrieved staff members who accused him of high-handedness.

The protesting staff chanting “Umahi must go” lamented that their late arrival was due to the distance some of them had to travel to get to work.

One of the protesting staff who spoke with reporters under conditions of anonymity hinted at some reasons workers find it hard to resume early.

“Most of us live in areas as far as Suleja in Niger State, some in Gwagwalada, Kefi, Abaji, Kuje Kwali, Kaduna road,” he said.

He also noted the effect of fuel subsidy removal, resulting in high transportation fares, hence, the need to join colleagues who have cars.

“Matters have been compounded with the fuel subsidy removal. We often have to join some of our friends who have cars to come to work because of the huge transportation cost.

“Most of us don’t earn up to N80,000 as salary monthly; how do we feed our families and meet other obligations? We expect the Minister to show a better understanding of the situation in the country instead of trying to run this place like Ebonyi State,” he stated.

The minister eventually allowed the protesting staff members in, but they refused to enter, saying that the minister must come and address them.

The worker said they wanted the minister to discuss measures and solutions about their late arrival.