The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it is aware of plans by state-sponsored persons to attack its rallies scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Igbere TV reports.
Should such attacks occur, the NLC said, it would order its members to totally down tools and possibly bring the Nigerian economy to a halt.
“… 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,” NLC President Joe Ajaero wrote in a statement on Sunday.
Ajaero named a group which it said: “is one of the emergency groups put together, funded, promoted and remote-controlled by government to cause violence against our members for electing to peacefully protest against the hunger in the land.”
IGBERE TV reported that the NLC scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the cost of living crisis in the country caused by government policies, particularly the removal of petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira.
The workers’ union accused the government of failing to honour its promises to ensure policies and programmes are put in place for workers to limit the impact of the petrol subsidy removal. While food prices have gone up over 200 per cent since the Bola Tinubu administration came on board, public workers’ salaries have yet to be increased despite the government setting up committees to work out an increase.
The government has appealed to the labour unions to shelve the strike, saying it is working hard to limit the negative impact of its policies on workers. The police have also cautioned that they would allow peaceful protests but they would not allow such protests to disturb people who are not interested in taking part in it. However, the NLC insisted on the strike.
In his Sunday statement, Mr Ajaero reiterated that the labour congress and its affiliate unions would embark on its protest despite the alleged threat of disruption.
“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,” he wrote.
