The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to invite the leaders of a planned nationwide protest against hardship in the country, as well as to address the difficulties that citizens face.
“As the date for the widely reported national protest approaches, the Nigeria Labour Congress urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite the leadership of the protest movement for discussions on their grievances,” the NLC stated in a Monday statement issued by its president, Joe Ajaero.
The NLC leader stated that with inflation at 34.19 percent, as well as increases in food and electricity tariffs, President Tinubu must address these concerns.
“It is consequently disrespectful and dismissive to depict Nigerians’ daily brutal ordeal as sponsored political protest. Even if this is the case, citizens’ freedom to protest on political reasons remains intact. Just that the current unrest in the country does not require political reason to ignite and flourish,” Ajaero stated.
“All that hurting citizens want from their government is a listening ear and a kind heart. Maybe that’s what the demonstration organisers are hoping for, considering their repeated notifications on various social media channels.
‘Dire Times.’
It criticised the Nigerian government’s “hostility” towards the planned protest, claiming that it “offers no 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 live in obscene luxury, especially at the expense of the majority.” These are grave times. Nigerians are outraged”.
“The circumstances demand the government to ‘jaw-jaw’ rather than ‘war-war’ with Nigerians. “You can’t smack a child and tell them not to cry,” he remarked.