• State govt commits to measures to combat menace
• Resign if you’re overwhelmed, protesting workers tell Tinubu, govs
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in collaboration with affiliate unions in Ogun State, yesterday, joined its counterparts across the country to embark on a “peaceful protest” to press home its demand for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to tackle kidnappings and insecurity ravaging the nation.
The protesters, who marched across major roads in the Abeokuta metropolis, with placards of various inscriptions calling on the Federal Government to address issues of kidnappings and insecurity in the country, said that it could not fold its arms to watch the worsening state of kidnapping and insecurity in the country.
The NLC’s State Chairman, Hameed Banco-Ademola, said that the protest became necessary as the security of the state and the nation has now become every citizen’s business, as abductors now target mosques and churches to kidnap innocent Nigerians.
Benco-Ademola said that the NLC and other affiliate unions decided to end the protest at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, to hand over a letter from the NLC’s National Chairman, Joe Ajaero, to Governor Dapo Abiodun on the issue of insecurity.
However, Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, AIG Olushola Shubair (rtd), who received the letter on behalf of the governor, said that the state government was pleased with the leadership of the NLC on the reception of the letter.
Shubair said that the government is working with security agencies to gather security tips to combat any incident of insecurity in the state, stressing that all hands must be on deck to tackle the menace.
Similarly, the NLC, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Osun State, yesterday, trooped out to protest worsening insecurity across the country.
The protesters, including workers and students, stormed the popular Olaiya Flyover in Osogbo and shut it down for some minutes while chanting solidarity songs. The situation led to a traffic snarl in the busy area as motorists sought alternative routes.
Osun NLC Chairman, Christopher Arapasopo, while addressing journalists at the protest ground, lamented that killings and abductions are on the rise, calling on the federal and sub-national governments to wake up and protect the masses.
Arapasopo wondered why the Forum of State Governors invited labour leaders to a meeting hours before the commencement of the nationwide protest, despite that the union
Also speaking, Chairman of Osun State Coalition of Civil Societies, Waheed Lawal, urged President Tinubu and state governors to resign if they cannot tackle insecurity.
He expressed displeasure that Nigerian workers are facing economic insecurity because their minimum wage is not commensurate with current living conditions.
The activist, however, called on Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, to ensure that the two Amotekun offices that were shut down by the police are opened, urging a quick resolution of the detention of some Amotekun operatives over the Akinlalu killings.
