Ogasabi and 9am news Nigeria report that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has clarified that it is not organizing the August 1 nationwide hunger protest. The union responded to rumors suggesting that it had withdrawn from a national demonstration organized by the youths.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero advised the federal and subnational governments to address the economic situation and pay attention to the cries of the starving Nigerian populace. The statement, headlined “The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organize,” included the following points:
“We learned through a news source about the Nigeria Labour Congress’s decision to withdraw from the much-discussed nationwide demonstration.
The truth is that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organize.
Only the organizers of the speculated national protest can decide to pull out or continue with the protest.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has internal trade union mechanisms, especially leadership decision-making processes, that its industrial actions, such as protests, pass through before such activities are undertaken.
However, the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is not organizing the protest does not mean that Organized Labour is unaware of the dire living conditions Nigerians face due to the harsh economic policies of the government.
The Nigeria Labour Congress stands in solidarity with the Nigerian people in these very trying and excruciating times.
Therefore, in proactive engagement with the issues raised by the protest organizers, 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 counterproductive for the 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.”
Ogasabi and 9am news Nigeria emphasize the importance of the government heeding this advice to address the pressing economic issues facing the nation.
