The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that protesters across the country who come out for the nationwide protest slated for Tuesday and Wednesday must not suffer any harm or intimidation.
The NLC, in a statement on Sunday by its national president, Joe Ajaero, said it has obtained reports that the government might want to deploy state-sponsored tactics against the protesters.
But the NLC warned that attacking protesters would be a costly mistake for the government as the union would ensure a total shutdown and withdrawal of services if anything like that happens.
The statement added despite attempts by the government to intimidate them, there is no going back on the planned protest.
Ajaero noted that Nigerians are battling rising inflation, food inflation, forex crisis, economic hardship and high cost of living occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy, and the government needs to find solutions to the growing challenges.
“All we are saying now is that; let there be food for the people, let the people live in safety, let the people live a life of dignity devoid of suffocating IMF/World Bank economic policies,” the NLC statement said.
It added that, “We would want the State to know that the solution to our horrible economic situation and hunger is not by suppressing peaceful dissent or inflicting violence on peacefully protesting citizens as the government did in Minna and other cities where its agents tear-gassed and beat up women before locking them up for raising their voice against hunger. It does not lie in the deployment of State-sponsored terror. The pangs of hunger cannot be cowed by bullets or tear gas.
In light of this, we at the Nigeria Labour Congress and civil society allies are moving ahead with our protest rallies against economic hardship and insecurity in line with the decision of the National Executive Council.”
We advise the State to put on its thinking cap and find solutions to the pains it continues to cause the people instead of further dehumanising them.
However, if it is irrevocably set on the path of violence against us and other peace-loving Nigerians, it will be making a costly mistake because if we are attacked, there will be a total shutdown via withdrawal of services by workers. Let no one be deceived, we and other deprived Nigerians cannot easily be intimidated.”
