The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to “immediately” pay all federal civil servants their four months N35,000 provisional wage award.
This was as thousands of protesters on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, protesting among others, the current hardship in the land owing to the removal of fuel subsidy.
Drawn from different Ministries Departments, and Agencies, they sang excitedly “Akpabio, come to our aid,” Solidarity Forever,” among others.
It could be recalled that on October 1, 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved N35,000 as the provisional wage increment for all treasury-paid workers for six months as part of an agreement reached with the labour unions to avoid a nationwide strike due to the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, in hid words lamented that Nigerians are dying of hunger due to the economic hardship in the country.
He urged the Federal Government to urgently address the situation. Ajaero spoke at the National Assembly Complex when he led thousands of protesters including civil society organizations in protest against the economic hardship.
“We thank everyone for making this happen. Today has come to pass. They said we should not be but we are here. We are here because there is hunger in the land. History will not forgive us if we do not protest at the level of hunger in the land. It is to signal to the authorities that there is a problem in the land,” he said.
He decried the falling value of the Naira, growing insecurity, and rising unemployment among other issues.
He said immediate measures must be taken to address the suffering, adding that the NLC would decide its next line of action.
The NLC President presented a letter containing their grievances to the representative of the leadership of the national Assembly.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour, Diket Plang, who accepted the letter on behalf of the National Assembly said they were aware of the hardship and assured that efforts would be made to urgently address the situation.
He promised the letter would be dispatched accordingly. Various security agencies were seen stationed around the various entries and exits of the National Assembly particularly the Federal Secretariat axis to ensure the orderliness of the action.
The protesters who were chanting are expected to communicate their message to the leadership of the National Assembly.
The NLC defied several warning and decided go ahead with a protest against the economic hardship in the country.
The DSS had last week warned that some persons are planning to use the opportunity of the planned protests by organized labour slated for 27th and 28th February to foment crisis and widespread violence.
Director, Public Relations and Strategic Communications, DSS National Headquarters, Abuja, Dr Peter Afunanya, in a statement, had therefore called on labour to shelve the action meant to protest the economic situation in the country in the interest of peace.
He had urged that they should pursue dialogue and negotiation rather than engaging in conducts that could heighten tensions in the country.
These entreaties however seem to have filled on deaf ears as the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, insists the protest must go on.
