The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to invite the leaders of the upcoming national protest for discussions about their grievances.
In a statement titled “Mr President should listen to the cry of the people,” NLC President Joe Ajaero highlighted the widespread dissatisfaction among Nigerians due to the current economic hardships.
The NLC emphasized that many families in Nigeria are struggling to afford even one meal a day.
The statement read, “As the date for the widely reported national protest looms, the Nigeria Labour Congress urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite the leadership of the protest movement for discussions on their grievances.”
The NLC pointed out the severity of the economic situation, noting that millions of Nigerians are angry about the state of the national economy.
“A situation where most Nigerian families are forced to eat one miserable meal a day and eating from the dustbin is now seen as luxury beckons for serious intervention by government,” the statement continued.
Supporting recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the NLC highlighted that around 133 million Nigerians live below the extreme poverty line. Additionally, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) reported that in the first three quarters of 2024, about 32 million Nigerians faced acute hunger.
“When this statistic is added to the millions that are being recruited into the armies of the unemployed and under-employed Nigerians, one can easily situate the hardship, pain, frustrations, and despair that many Nigerians are going through right now,” the statement explained.
The NLC criticized the government’s dismissal of the daily struggles faced by Nigerians as merely politically motivated dissent.
“It is condescending and dismissive to describe the daily brutish ordeal that Nigerians are going through as a sponsored political dissent. Even if it is so, it is still within the confines of citizens’ rights to protest on political grounds,” the NLC stated.
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The NLC stressed the need for the government to listen to the people and show empathy.
“All that the hurting citizens demand from their government is a listening ear and an empathetic heart. Maybe, that is what the organizers of the protest are looking for given their continued notices on different social media platforms,” the statement suggested.
The NLC described the difficulties faced by various segments of the population, including those who have lost their jobs, nursing mothers struggling to feed their children, and youths who have been out of school and unemployed for years.
“It is very difficult to tell a Nigerian who has lost his or her job due to the current economic downturn to maintain their cool. It is very tough to advise a nursing mother who is unsure where the next meal for her suckling child to be at ease,” the NLC noted.
The statement also highlighted the recent protests led by the NLC against the harsh economic policies of the government, including the high cost of refined petroleum products, electricity, and other utilities. The NLC argued that hostility towards protesters does not solve the underlying issues.
“Bellicosity and hostility towards the protesters and other aggrieved Nigerians do not offer any 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 are living in obscene luxury especially at the expense of the majority,” the NLC stated.
In conclusion, the NLC called for dialogue and peaceful resolution of the issues. “These are dire times. Nigerians are angry. The times require government to ‘jaw jaw’ and not ‘war war’ with Nigerians. The truth is that you cannot smack a child and at the same time ask the child not to cry. A stitch in time might still save nine! Solidarity Forever!” the statement concluded.