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As the upcoming protests gain momentum, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to invite the leadership of the planned national protests for discussions on their grievances.
The union said this in a statement by its president, Joe Ajaero, on Monday, July 22, 2024.
The statement reads in part, “As the date for the widely reported national protest looms, the Nigeria Labour Congress urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite the leadership of the protest movement for discussions on their grievances.”
Ajaero said with the hike in food and electricity tariffs, it is condescending to dismiss the hardship that inspired the planned protests as a sponsored political descent.
The NLC chief said, “It is, therefore, condescending and dismissive to describe the daily brutish ordeal that Nigerians are going through as a sponsored political dissent. Even if it is so, it is still within the confines of citizens’ rights to protest on political grounds. Just that the current unease in the country does not need political motivation to spark and splurge.
“All that the hurting citizens demand from their government is a listening ear and an empathetic heart. Maybe, that is what the organisers of the protest are looking for given their continued notices on different social media platforms.”
Ajaero condemns FG's attitude to planned protests
The NLC president described the attitude of the Nigerian government toward the protest as hostile, saying it offers no remedy to the pains and frustration of Nigerians.
“It does not offer any tangible remedy either to the pain endured by the populace or the frustrations of having so little in a country where a few privileged persons are living in obscene luxury, especially at the expense of the majority. These are dire times. Nigerians are angry.”
The labour leader urged the government to ‘jaw-jaw’ and not ‘war war’ with Nigerians, adding that the government cannot subject the people to economic hardship and expect them not to react.