We can’t withdraw from protest we didn’t organise — NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has clarified that it is not the organizer of the planned nationwide hunger protest scheduled for August 1.

In response to circulating reports suggesting that it had withdrawn from a planned national protest organized by the youth, the union issued a statement on Wednesday.

Signed by NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero, the statement advised the federal and state governments to heed the pleas of the hungry Nigerian people and address the ongoing economic crisis.

The statement entitled “The Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise,” partly read:

“A news report of the withdrawal of the Nigeria Labour Congress from the widely discussed national protest has been brought to our attention. The Nigeria Labour Congress debunks such story as patently false.

“The truth is that the Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise. It is only the organisers of the speculated national protest that can decide to pull out or continue with the protest.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress has internal trade union mechanisms especially leadership decision-making processes that its industrial actions such as protests pass through before such activities are undertaken.

“Yet, the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress is not the body organising the protest does not mean that Organised Labour is oblivious of the dire living conditions Nigerians have been subjected to by the harsh economic policies of government.

“The Nigeria Labour Congress stands in solidarity with the Nigerian people in this very trying and excruciating times.

“Pursuant to proactive engagement with the issues canvassed by the protest organisers, we have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite the leaders of the protest movement to dialogue on their demands.

“We have advised that it would be counter-productive for government to meet the widespread anger in the land with brute force.

“Once again, we implore the Federal Government and the sub-national governments to listen to the cries of the Nigerian people and do the needful. After all, it is said that the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

Inflation Jacks Up Prices Of Beans, Yam, Others

The planned protest coincides with a recent report from the National Bureau of Statistics showing a rise in the prices of beans, tomatoes, Irish potatoes, garri, yam, and other food items in June 2024.

The NBS also reported that headline inflation for June increased to 34.19%, up from 33.95% in May 2024. Food inflation has surged above 40%.

The NBS’s Selected Food Prices Watch report for June 2024, released in Abuja on Tuesday, revealed that the average price of 1kg of brown beans rose by 252.13%, from ₦651.12 in June 2023 to ₦2,292.76 in June 2024.

“On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of brown beans increased by 14.11 per cent in June from the ₦2,009.23 recorded in May 2024,” the report stated.

It said that the average price of 1kg of tomatoes increased by 320.67 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N547.28 recorded in June 2023 to N2,302.26 in June 2024.

“On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of tomatoes increased by 55.97 per cent from the N1,479.69 recorded in May 2024,” it added.

The report said that the average price of Irish potatoes increased by 288.50 per cent on a year-on-year basis from ₦623.75 in June 2023 to ₦2,423.27 in June 2024.

The NBS said that the average price of 1kg of white Garri rose by 181.66 per cent on a year-on-year basis from ₦403.15 in June 2023 to ₦1,135.51 in June 2024.

“On a month-on-month basis, 1kg of white Garri increased by 1.86 per cent from N1,114.72 recorded in May 2024.

Additionally, the average price of 1kg of yam tuber increased by 295.79% year-on-year, rising from ₦510.77 in June 2023 to ₦2,021.55 in June 2024.

The report also highlighted state-level price variations. In June 2024, the highest average price for 1kg of brown beans was ₦3,006.43 in Kogi, while the lowest was ₦1,336.11 in Adamawa.

Abuja recorded the highest average price for 1kg of tomatoes at ₦3,992.61, with Kebbi having the lowest at ₦1,200.

The highest average price for 1kg of yam tuber was ₦3,376.54 in Lagos, whereas Adamawa had the lowest at ₦1,100. For 1kg of white garri, Gombe had the highest average price at ₦1,619.27, and Taraba had the lowest at ₦900.

Regional analysis showed that the North-Central had the highest average price for 1kg of brown beans at ₦2,923.45, followed by the South-South at ₦2,630.03.

The South-West and South-East had the highest average prices for 1kg of tomatoes at ₦3,261.84 and ₦2,852.59, respectively, while the North-West had the lowest at ₦1,411.16.

The South-West recorded the highest average price for 1kg of yam tuber at ₦2,745.80, with the North-Central at ₦2,440.35, and the North-West at ₦1,238.49. For 1kg of white garri, the South-West and North-East had the highest average prices at ₦1,199.62 and ₦1,155.63, respectively.

This report follows the Federal Government’s approval of a 150-day duty-free import window for certain food commodities to address the ongoing rise in food prices and improve food security.

The suspended duties and taxes will apply to imports of maize, cowpeas, wheat, and husked brown rice across land and sea borders. Additionally, the government has approved the distribution of some grains nationwide.

Give Us More Time, Tinubu Pleads

On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu urged Nigerians to postpone the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, met with ministers regarding the upcoming protest.

The closed-door meeting included all over 40 ministers in the President’s cabinet.

Attendees included Nyesom Wike (FCT), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning), among others such as Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), Bello Matawalle (Defence), and David Umahi (Works).

Following the meeting, Information Minister Mohammed Idris appealed to Nigerians to grant the government more time to address the country’s economic challenges.

He assured the public that the government is actively working to resolve the issues and emphasized that there is no need for the planned protest.