The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday warned President Bola Tinubu to desist from stopping Nigerians angered by the current state of the nation’s economy from protesting.
The NLC President Joe Ajaero in Abuja said rather than fighting the looming protest through force, the president should seek audience with the leaders of the planned protest to address the situation before it escalates beyond control.
Ajaero in a statement made said “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.
“The truth is that millions of Nigerians are angry about the state of the national economy. A situation where most Nigerian families are forced to eat one miserable meal a day and eating from the dustbin is now seen as a luxury beckons for serious intervention by the government.
“The times require the government to ‘jaw-jaw’ and not ‘war war’ with Nigerians. The truth is that you cannot smack a child and at the same time ask the child not to cry. A stitch in time might still save nine”.
The August 1 to 10 protest has raised political tension with the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, accusing the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi of secret sponsorship.
Addressing Onanugu’s claims, Ajaero said, “The truth is that Nigerians have been hard pushed and super pressed right against the walls of deep deprivation and acute want.
“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. 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.
“It is very difficult to tell a Nigerian who has lost his or her job due to the current economic downturn to maintain their cool.
“It is very tough to advise a nursing mother who is unsure where the next meal for her suckling child to be at ease. It is a herculean task to demand patience from a youth who has been out of school for the past six years without a job and is burdened with aged parents to cater for.
“During these very difficult times, the right of Nigerians to complain must be fully respected”.
Although absolving itself of any guilt of sponsoring the planned protest, the Congress said, “The Organised Labour movement led by the Nigeria Labour Congress has had cause in recent times to protest against the crushing suffering in the land brought about by the harsh economic policies of the government.
“It is the well-considered position of the Congress that bellicosity and hostility towards the protesters and other aggrieved Nigerians do 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”.
