Police halt protest in Borno, Labour prepares for total strike in Katsina
Worried by the economic crunch, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, cautioned the Federal Government against adoption of economic advisories from the international lending agencies including International Monetary Fund, (IMF) and World Bank.
Besides, the Labour union reminded President Bola Tinubu that foreign input in the nation’s economy has rather brought hardship to Nigerians. Chairman, Kano State chapter of NLC, Kabiru Inuwa, who stated this while joining the nationwide protest in the state, said the present economic crunch was fast becoming unbearable on the average citizen on a daily basis.
Rather than salvaging the pains of Nigerians, Inuwa lamented that Nigerians were further impoverished with the situation, just as he demanded urgent remedy.
He said: “The issue we are taking before the government is for them to allow the masses to breathe because we are living in hunger and poverty. Our level of poverty is increasing daily. Prices of commodities are skyrocketing. This is why we are complaining. They should allow us to breathe.
“They should forget about the International lenders’ policies that are only targeted at creating problems for Africans because a hungry man is an angry man.”
Receiving the protesting workers at the Government House, the Head of Service (HoS), Abdullahi Musa, said plans were underway by the state government to attend to the request by the labour union on the issue of wage award in the state.
He said plans were underway by the state government to emplace measures to ameliorate the suffering of the people, especially as Ramadan fast approaches.
Musa assured the protesters that the government would look into issues and act on those within its reach, and deliver the letter to the President for action on issues raised.
BORNO State Police Command has halted the peaceful nationwide protest of NLC across the state.
Announcing the halting of the two-day protest, yesterday, in Maiduguri, the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Lawan, disclosed: “Security reports indicated that about 50,000 repentant Boko Haram terrorists could hijack the protest to cause violence in Maiduguri metropolis and environs.”
After a series of consultations with the CP and the NLC led by Yusuf Inuwa, the workers proceeded with their rally a few meters away from the Secretariat, amid tight security.
Members of the affiliate unions under the NLC also converged at the Secretariat as early as 8.00am to join their counterparts across the country to protest the high cost of living.
MEANWHILE, NLC has warned it may down tools and embark on a total strike, if nothing concrete is done by the Federal Government to meet their demands.
Speaking with newsmen, yesterday, in Katsina State, during the two-day protest by the union, NLC chairman in the state, Husseini Hamisu, said Labour might take the next line of action in the next two weeks, should there be no meaningful action on part of the government.
“All of us are in Nigeria and we know that we are suffering. The NLC headquarters has directed that we embark on the strike to convey the sufferings of Nigerians to the government.
“If two weeks after this protest the government still remains adamant, the government should expect a total strike by the organised Labour. We have realised that the only language that the Nigerian government understands is strike. We shall not remain silent,” he said.
