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The planned nationwide protests by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to kick against the biting hardship experienced by Nigerians will go on as planned, The Matrix can report.
Nigerians are experiencing rising cost of living, battling rising inflation, food inflation, forex crisis, economic hardship and all brought about by the removal of petrol subsidy by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led government triggering protests in many parts of the country.
To call government’s attention to the hardship experienced by Nigerians, the NLC had on February 16, 2024 issued a notice for a two-day protest slated for February 27-28, 2024 nationwide, following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum given to the federal government to address the issue
Several appeals were made to NLC to shelve the strike from different quarters like the Department of State Security (DSS), pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere amongst others without avail.
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Also, a late meeting between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour on Monday night at the State House in Abuja ended in a stalemate.
All entreaties by the Federal Government to the NLC to shelve the planned nationwide protest was met with stiff resistance.
The late night meeting, hosted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, was not opened to the media.
Those in attendance at the meeting include the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Ministers of Labour, Agriculture, Finance, Budget & Planning and the Head of Service of the Federation.
The two labour centres in the country were also in attendance.
The NLC delegation was led by its National President, Joe Ajaero; while Festus Osifo led the delegation by the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The Minister of Information, Muhammad Idris, who spoke after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Monday, said the Federal Government had fulfilled almost all the demands put forward by the labour union.
“All the 15 points that were agreed upon with Labour in October last year have almost been fulfilled with over 80% compliance by the Federal Government,” the minister said.
“Nigeria is going through challenges at the moment. We don’t think that it is the right time for Labour to embark on any kind of protest whatsoever.
“So, we are calling on the Nigeria Labour Congress to see reason and also we are also thanking other affiliates of the Organised Labour like the TUC (Trade Union Congress) and about 65 other organisation who are seeing things the way the Federal Government is seeing it by saying they are not going to join the Nigeria Labour Congress protest.”
Responding to the appeal by FG, Labour had declared that the protest rallies will go on as planned.
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The NLC also advised the Federal Government to put on its thinking cap and implement its agreement with the Organised Labour as well as address the mounting economic crisis of survival in Nigeria.
“The rally goes on and it is part of their constitutional responsibility to ensure that the rally is peaceful,” said the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero said after the meeting with government representatives on the eve of the protest.
“All we are saying now is that; let there be food for the people, let the people live in safety, let the people live a life of dignity devoid of suffocating IMF/World Bank economic policies,” the group said.
The Labour leader also raised the alarm that plans have been perfected to attack planned peaceful rallies across the country.
Ajaero said, “We would want the State to know that the solution to our horrible economic situation and hunger is not by suppressing peaceful dissent or inflicting violence on peacefully protesting citizens as the government did in Minna and other cities where its agents tear-gassed and beat up women before locking them up for raising their voice against hunger. It does not lie in the deployment of State -sponsored terror. The pangs of hunger cannot be cowed by bullets or tear gas.
“In light of this, we at the Nigeria Labour Congress and civil society allies are moving ahead with our protest rallies against economic hardship and insecurity in line with the decision of the National Executive Council.”
