The nationwide protest against the economic hardship declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held in Abuja and across the 36 states, yesterday, and recorded impressive turnout, despite purported threats to scuttle the event.
Across all the geopolitical zines, tens of thousands of workers joined by members of the civil society coalitions and groups held posters calling on governments to act to stop rising rates of inflation and hunger amid chants of solidarity songs.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as, “End hunger and poverty”, “Reject IMF/World Bank policies’, End Naira devaluation, support local production,” “Stop the profligacy in government, subsidise the poor’, “Fix local refineries, end subsidy “, ” Remove tax on drugs”, “Our health matters”, among others.
On February 16, NLC at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting had declared a two-day nationwide protest for yesterday and today over the worsening economic hardship and insecurity in the country.
But the Department of State Services (DSS) had warned the NLC not to embark on the planned protest for the fear that it would be hijacked by unscrupulous elements.
In spite of the security alert, NLC insisted on the mass action. Addressing journalists before the protest started in Abuja, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero urged the Federal Government to immediately address hunger and economic hardship in the country.
He accused the government of refusing to implement any of the demands of the NLC, in the wake of the removal of subsidy on petrol and the floating of the naira.
“Government said we should not rally and they said some of us, if we come out, we are going to have a date with history. So they used peaceful means and they used threats but we are in God’s hands.
“We are here to do a rally so that Mr. President will know how Nigerians feel and how it is pinching us. You know the tendency for you to have a president and the ministers and advisers around would not tell you exactly what is happening. It is possible.
“We are out here to protest to register before Nigerians the level of suffering. We are calling it a peaceful rally.”
Ajaero claimed that the cost of transportation and food commodities increased due to the removal of subsidy on petrol.
He said the NLC had proposed the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles as substitute for petrol powered vehicles, the cash transfer programme and an increment of the minimum wage, in a bid to ameliorate the hardship on the people.
“This protest is not about minimum wage, you have to understand it. This protest is about hunger. What of those that are not working? The minimum wage, when will it be completed to be the minimum wage that will remove hunger?”
“The UN said the poorest man should be fed on $2 per day. That is the poorest and if we have a family of six people, at $2 per six is $12. In a month, you have $360 which translates to about N700,000.
“Is that the minimum wage you are talking about? Just feeding alone. I’m not talking about transportation and accommodation and medicals.
“We don’t even know if the previous minimum wage has been implemented in some places, so that it will enable us to do proper analysis of the cost of living across the geopolitical zones, so that we will factor it into the approach we want to adopt with regards to the cost of living index.
“We will have raw data for our analysis before we look at the figures. We equally have many things to look at in the current minimum wage.
“Whether we should continuously allow the minimum wage to be reviewed every five years… absolutely not, because before five years, no matter what you are doing, it would be eroded by inflation and devaluation of the currency.
“We have some other ideas on how to go about the minimum wage. On what we said about the N1 million we are demanding, if the current value of the naira continues to depreciate at the current rate, there will be a time that N1 million may be difficult for you to buy a loaf of bread.
“If you have a situation where you need a bagful of money to buy a handful of goods, then that economy is gone….
At the National Assembly complex, he said: “The protest is to make Mr. President, to know how Nigerians feel, we know where it is pinching us.
“We are also here to register our complaints before Nigerians, the level of suffering and hunger in the land.
“We are here to call on the federal government to immediately address the issue of hunger in the country.
“There is nobody that does not know that bag of rice is over N70, 000 or more, we can not even buy indomie, even bread is out of reach and with N30, 000 minimum wage, if you eat a loaf of bread everyday, you will be spending over N40,000,”he said.
He expressed worries over why the government keeps reneging on most of the palliatives it promised to provide to ameliorate the pain of workers, since the removal of fuel subsidy on May 29th, 2023.
Ajaero said that the primary purpose of governance had always been the welfare and security of the citizens. He said government must rise up to its responsibility of implementing the welfare provisions as contained in Chapter Two of the Constitution of-the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Ajaero presented a letter containing 17-point demands of the Congress.
•NASS intervenes
Receiving the letter, Senator Diket Plang, Chairman, Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity commended workers for the peaceful protest.
He assured that NASS would do its best to ensure the quick passage of the minimum wage when implemented and the demands from the NLC would be looked into.
“We are supposed to stand in for Nigerians where it pinches them. I want to assure you that the National Assembly is very sensitive to what is happening, very sensitive.”
He said the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and other leaders of the National Assembly met on Monday night to discuss how to bring solutions to the situation and are currently working on it.
“We are at a very critical period in which Nigeria is taking a decision that would be of economic advantage to all of us.
“My plea and our plea is for the union to reason with us, understand with us. There is no way we will allow this thing to continue. But steps must be taken.”
On his part, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Labour and Productivity, Adefarati Adeboyega, said, “…We will take your letter to the leadership of the Nation Assembly. Very soon you will hear from us. We are facing the same challenges. The economic challenges and hardship faced by Nigeria is borne by everybody.
“I want to assure you that the leadership of the National Assembly will look into your request and demands and take swift and bold action. I can assure you Nigeria will breathe again.”
•Protests needless
But the presidency has described the protest as a needless one.
During an interview on TVC, the president’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to ameliorate the hardship in the land.
“Any labour union that is speaking to the concerns of Nigerian families, the pains that are being felt by our people, is absolutely free to do so. It is right that Nigerians speak up in difficult situations,” he said.
“And the government has been doing everything possible to alleviate those concerns.
“But we also want to separate the legitimate concerns being expressed by some of the labour unions from people trying to leverage some of the situations in the country to achieve a political agenda.
“We have seen the Trade Union Congress (TUC) pull out of the purported nationwide protest. We have seen the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) pull out of the protest. There is no unanimity behind what NLC is trying to do.
“I believe all of the legitimate concerns being raised by the unions are being tackled by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.”
Falana seeks social security bill
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, who joined the protesters in Lagos, said provision of palliatives was not enough to address the economic challenges facing Nigerians.
Speaking at the House of Assembly, Alausa where protesting members of NLC presented a letter of their grievances to the lawmakers, after marching from Ikeja, he said the government should rather address youth unemployment and called on the state to put in place a law on social security
“We want a bill for social security in the state, and if Lagos can start, other states will be compelled to follow suit. It is no longer enough to give palliatives; it must be on a permanent basis, and that is why a social security bill must be passed by the House in the interest of our people.” he said.
Falana commended the NLC for insisting on enforcing their rights to assemble peacefully and express themselves. “What you have done today is a major victory in the annals of our history. The Attorney-General of the Federation wrote to the police that what you are doing today will be contemptuous of court. We replied the government on behalf of NLC that there is nothing contemptuous in enforcing your rights. In this particular instance, you insisted on your rights and that is why the inspector general of police came out today,” he said.
Falana also spoke on the federal government’s decision to implement the Oronsaye report, saying he did not see it helping in reducing the cost of governance.
NAN reports that the national body of the NLC had announced a two-day protest against hardship and hunger affecting workers and Nigerians at large.
The NLC in Lagos had complied with the directive by marching from the Ikeja, underbridge in Lagos to the State House of Assembly to present a letter stating their grievances.
The state Chairman, Mrs Funmi Sessi, while addressing members of the house, presented the letter to the speaker and clerk of the house.
“We hope that you are going to help us pass our message to the governor of Lagos State.
“We want the governor to come out tomorrow to address us because we will be at the assembly again to continue our protest, “ she said.
Responding, Mr Noheem Adams, the Majority Leader, State House of Assembly, commended the leadership of the NLC for a peaceful protest.