National Pilot Special Report On Labour’s Nationwide Protest * Kwara NLC decries hardships over fuel subsidy removal * Protesters pull down national assembly gate  * Lagos NLC demands N30,000 palliative for six months  * Falana, Sowore join protest  * Not A Single Kobo Saved’, NLC Counters Tinubu’s N1trn Claim On Subsidy Removal * Commercial, business activities paralysed in Kano

Packaged by Fatai Ahmed

 

 

The Organised Labour including the NLC, the TUC and their affiliate unions, on Wednesday kicked off their planned protest in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and other states of the Federation including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo.

Labour embarked on the peaceful protest across the country to exprepss their grievances over the current hardships facing Nigeria workers.

The protests began as early as 7.30 a.m.

In kwara state, the protest was peaceful and ordely. The state NLC Chairman, Saeed Murtala Olayinka, decried the hardships in Nigeria following the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal government.

Speaking after leading a peaceful protest of workers to deliver their grievances to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq at the Government House in Ilorin, the labour leader, said the protest was meant to send a strong signal to the Federal government about the hardships Nigerians were currently going through as a result of the removal of the fuel subsidy.

He urged the federal government to urgently repair the country’s refineries to make the product available and affordable for the citizens.

Saheed said the palliative programme of the government should also be made available to mitigate the hardships of the people.

The workers who thronged out in their numbers, moved around major streets in Ilorin before delivering the letter of their grievances to the Deputy Governor, Mr Kayode Àlabi, who received the message on behalf of the governor.

The NLC Chairman expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of the protesters and advised them to maintain the peace.

In their separate remarks the Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ,) Kwara State Council, Ahmed Abdullateef and the Chairman, Trade Union Congress,(TUC,) Kwara Council, Tunde Joseph, assured that the organised labour will use all available peaceful means to make government do the needful.

They commended the security agencies for exhibiting professionalism in the discharge of their duties during the protest rally.

In his address on behalf of the state government, Deputy Governor, Kayode Àlabi, assured members of the organised labour that their message will be delivered to the appropriate quarters.

In Kogi, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesting workers converged at Ganaja flyover under bridge in Lokoja, chanting solidarity songs.

The protesters stormed the place carrying placards with various inscriptions such as: “Let the poor breathe, the poor are dying.

Others are, “Workers spend 70 per cent of their salary on transportation,” “Fix our refineries now,”.

NAN reports that police personnel and other security agencies were present to ensure a peaceful and hitch free protest rally.

Mr Samuel Obajemu, the state TUC Vice Chairman said the national protests were to express their grievances over the high cost of living due to the removal of fuel subsidy.

He noted that the subsidy removal had caused untold hardships on the Nigerian worker and the entire masses.

He added that the untold hardship could aggravate crime rate in the society.

“We expect that before the removal of fuel subsidy, some tangible palliatives should have been in place and that is what we are agitating for.

“We are not fighting against any government or their officials, we are only agitating that the government should have mercy on the masses.

“Organised labour is appealing to the government to have mercy on the masses, because it is the masses that voted for them.

“We are appealing to the government to please listen to the cries of the masses,” Obajemu said.

NAN reports that the organised labour thereafter matched from Ganaja junction to the Kogi Government House, Lokoja.

The Lagos chapter of the NLC on its part, demanded N30,000 subsidy palliative from the State Government to assuage the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.

This was done while the Chairperson of the Congress, Funmi Sessi was presenting charter of demands to the Deputy Governor of the state, Kadri Hamzat.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN; Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 election Omoyele Sowore, joined the lagos protesters.

Sessi while addressing Hamzat said: “We need subsidy palliative. Our minimum wage can no longer take care of our burdens. Many people are dying, and hungry. We know the state government is trying, but they still need to do more.

“We need subsidy palliative of N30,000 each for workers, for the next six month. We know the govt has slashed BRT fares, but we want to be able to put food on our table. Some of us have cars, we need to buy fuel.

“We want health care to be affordable. Agencies and parastatals should get buses to transmit workers to and fro.

“We want a stakeholders dialogue with the state government. We also need food banks, we want stomach infrastructure, it is very important.”

Falana, on his part, urged the legislative body to prioritize the welfare of the citizens and reconsider their decision over the controversial N70b renovation project of the Assembly Complex in the face of widespread public discontent.

Addressing the protesters, the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, said “We have heard you, and the letter has been given to us.

His statement implied that the concerns raised by the protesters had been acknowledged and would be taken into consideration by relevant authorities.

The protest remains peaceful and resolute as the NLC and other participating groups continue their march toward the state House of Assembly.

In Abuja, Protesters brought down the gates at the entrance of the national assembly, forcing their way into the legislative enclave.

According to reports,when the protesters arrived at the national assembly complex the gates were locked by security officials.

Consequently the protesters forced their way into the complex by pulling down the gate while chanting solidarity songs.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio immediately entered into a closed-door session with the lawmakers and upon his emergence from the meeting said the red chamber has set up a three-man committee to meet with the protesters at the National Assembly.

The committee was led by Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, from Borno South Senatorial District.

The Senate also resolved that it will in the shortest possible time meet with the NLC and TUC leadership to find an amicable resolution to the current impasse.

Ndume alongside two other lawmakers — Senator Ireti Kingibe and Senator Tony Nwonye — later met with the protesters at the National Assembly.

The Senators were seen engaging NLC President, Joe Ajaero; and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo.

The NLC President while speaking at the protest countered President Bola Tinubu on the claim that N1 trillion has been saved since his government stopped the payment of fuel subsidy. He said no single kobo has been saved.

“Mr President talked about N1trillion saved. The committee where we meet, they told us that no one kobo has been saved so far. Therefore, we have not agreed on what to pay anywhere,” he said.

In Kano, business and commercial activities were paralysed across the metropolitan city

The Kano NLC protest march began at the Murtala Mohammed Library, Ahmadu Bello Way, and terminated at the State Government House, where the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Baffa Bichi, received the protesters.

The protesters displayed placards, some of which read: “Government should not listen to IMF and World Bank demands”, “No to increment in University fees”, Minimum wage should be N200,000″, Government must restore fuel subsidy, among others.

The organised labour, led by the State NLC Chairman, Comrade Kabiru Inuwa, presented a letter to the SSG for onward delivery to President Bola Tinubu.

Also, the organised labour vehemently opposed the palliative measures President Bola Tinubu rolled out towards cushioning the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.

Inuwa told the state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the SSG, that labour is vehemently opposing the palliative measures rolled by the Federal Government towards cushioning the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.

Responding, the SSG told labour that the state government was not at war with labour, assuring that he would convey labour’s message to the governor towards addressing their demands.

Earlier at the Government House, Bichi, who received labour’s letter for onward delivery to the President, said the state government, was not in any dispute with labour.

“The state government will do everything humanly possible to address the demands of labour toward ameliorating the current hardship, caused by the removal of fuel subsidy,” he said.

In Enugu the NLC members, associate unions and civil society groups gathered at the New Market Office of the Enugu NLC where the protest took off at 9.50 am on Wednesday.

The protesters were seen marching through the New Market Roundabout, to FRCN, the State Secretariat, Okpara Avenue, CBN road, towards government house.

Addressing the crowd in front of the EEDC office, Okpara Avenue, NLC Chairman, Fabian Nwigbo says the workers will keep demanding for their rights until the federal government relieves Nigerians from hardship.

He said, “If the government does not do the needful, the organised labour will take more concrete steps to embark on industrial action.”

Security agents were seen guarding the protesters who are peacefully marching the streets.

In Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital,vehicular activities were disrupted as the State chapter of the Organised Labour shut down major roads in protest of the removal of the fuel subsidy.

Armed with placards, the workers marched from the NLC secretariat in the Leme area of Abeokuta to the governor’s office in Oke-Mosan preventing free vehicular movement.

Some of the inscriptions on their placards read: “Let the poor breath, don’t suffocate them”, “Stop importation of petrol, revive the refineries now!!!”, “Stop the looting, tax the rich and subsidize the poor” and “Give workers what is due”.

The workers demanded the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

They described the removal of fuel subsidy, hike in school fees and VAT as anti-people policies.

The workers also demanded the release of eight months withheld salaries of university lecturers and an end to “inhuman actions” and policies of the government.

According to them, the policies had brought untold hardships to Nigerian workers and further worsened the living condition of the people.

Addressing the workers, the NLC Chairman in the state, Hammed Ademola said, the protest was in compliance with the directive of the national body of the union.

“We have to be on the street, we must not wait until we die, our destiny is always in our hands and now is the right time for us to tell the government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that we Nigerians are suffering.

“The fuel subsidy removal has caused a lot of hardship, untold hardship onto the masses of this nation. We are suffering, we have crude oil yet we are still buying abroad, enough is enough”, Ademola said.

In Adamawa, members of labour unions took to major streets in Yola, the state capital to demand the immediate and unconditional restoration of subsidy on PMS.

The unionists also demanded the reversal of hikes in school fees in federal schools, among other demands

Led by the Adamawa State Chairman of NLC, Emmanuel Fashe, the workers who started a procession from its secretariat at Kashim Ibrahim Way, decried the astronomical increase in fees by federal government-owned unity schools and universities.

Fashe delivered a letter of protest to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri at the Government House, Yola for onward delivery to President Bola Tinubu.

“On behalf of the voiceless masses of Adamawa State, we joined millions of Nigerians to protest against the present hardship that is mated on the citizenry due to anti masses policies of the federal government.

“We want to quickly remember that prior to May this year, our lives were not this way. From May to date our lives have changed in the negative.

“The purchasing power of the poor masses have been taken away by this government,” Fashe said during the protest.

He described Nigeria as a “tragedy” for producing oil without a functional refinery.

Governor Fintiri, who was represented by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Edgar Amos, promised to deliver the letter to President Tinubu.