Nigeria @63: NLC Issues Powerful Message To Nigerians Ahead Nationwide Protest

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has released a powerful message to mark the 63rd Independence Day of Nigeria. In this message titled “63RD INDEPENDENT DAY MESSAGE TO ALL NIGERIAN WORKERS AND PEOPLE BY THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC)… NIGERIA: THE TRAVAILS OF A MISMANAGED GIANT”, the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, addressed the country’s downward spiral since its early days of independence, emphasizing the critical need for reforms and a nationwide strike to demand change. According to Ajaero, Nigeria, which was once seen as a promising giant on the world stage, has suffered from mismanagement and corruption over the decades. He recalled the optimism of the nation’s early years, with thriving agriculture, industries, and a population full of hope. The healthy competition among regions drove progress and prosperity. “However, the promise of Nigeria’s early independence years soon gave way to a series of missteps, corruption, and missed opportunities. The erosion of ethical governance, widespread corruption, and political instability became the hallmarks of the nation’s trajectory. “One striking example of this decline is the demise of Nigeria Airways, a once-thriving national airline with a global presence. Today, Nigeria has neither a national airline nor a national shipping line, which has led to embarrassing situations like the ill-fated Nigeria Air project. The country’s once-strong currency, the Naira, has also weakened significantly in comparison to the U.S. Dollar,” Ajaero said. The press release further questions the privatization of key assets, including power generation and distribution companies, aluminum smelter companies, and steel manufacturing companies, which seem to have failed to deliver the expected benefits to the Nigerian people. On the healthcare and education fronts, the NLC expressed concern about the declining state of public hospitals and the exorbitant cost of quality education, leading to many Nigerians seeking education and healthcare abroad. The message also raises the issue of insecurity, particularly the challenges in combating Boko Haram insurgency, despite the military’s past successes in conflicts like the Nigerian Civil War. Furthermore, the NLC said it has not overlooked the plight of Nigerian workers, who face unfair labour practices, inadequate wages, and the burden of rising fuel prices. They argue that the minimum wage of N30,000 is insufficient to meet basic needs. The NLC extended its message beyond criticism, as it called on Nigerians from all regions to unite, demand transparency and accountability from their leaders, and work toward a brighter future. The NLC’s nationwide strike, scheduled for October 3rd, aims to draw attention to these issues and rally citizens to be active participants in reshaping their nation. Comrade Joe Ajaero reminded Nigerians that the path to a better future for their nation requires collective effort. He called on the people to join hands and build a coalition to address the nation’s challenges, transforming Nigeria into a truly independent and prosperous nation once more. See Full Statement Below: 63RD INDEPENDENT DAY MESSAGE TO ALL NIGERIAN WORKERS AND PEOPLE BY THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC)  NIGERIA: THE TRAVAILS OF A MISMANAGED GIANT Our nation with all its flaws at conception possesses a great potential to be amongst the best economies of the world. It had the promise of a nation destined to be prosperous and continually developing. At independence, it began to demonstrate the signs that it was going to fulfill these expectations especially with all the giant strides being recorded in all the regions that made up the country. There was a healthy competition amongst the diverse regions for progress with pacesetting and record-breaking achievements all around the nation. When Nigeria gained independence on October 1st, 1960, the world watched in awe as a nation endowed with abundant human and natural resources took its place on the global stage. With a thriving agricultural sector, burgeoning industries, and a diverse and vibrant populace, Nigeria held immense promise. The spirit of unity and hope that characterized those early years was palpable, and it seemed that we were poised for greatness. The famous groundnut pyramids became the symbol of a prosperous north while the famous Cocoa House standing on the Cocoa output and the Western Television showed the readiness of the Western region to outpace others with the Eastern region demonstrating its prowess in Palm produce and its rich technological start-ups. It was indeed a nation poised for greatness as the sky beckons. Our Hospitals and Educational institutions were top notch as royalties thronged our shores for medical treatments while Asian and other African students found home in our citadels of learning. We had a nation that could feed, house and cloth her people; a nation whose citizens lived in prosperity and enjoyed a life that was comparable to that possible in all parts of the globe. Our currency which was originally the British Pounds and was changed in 1973 to the Naira was stronger than the U$ Dollars but was at par with the British Pounds. Going abroad for studies or to live was not attractive and foreign nationals thronged our shores for greener pasture. Social infrastructure was efficiently maintained and the public utilities remained functional. As we celebrate Nigeria’s 63rd independence anniversary, it is important that we drew our attention to the fact that this nation was once a great nation filled with great hope inspired by great leaders until inept and corrupt leaders took over the helms of affairs and ran the country aground. The crisis of leadership is truly the crisis of our national development.  The continued mismanagement of our resources has made it difficult for us a nation and as a people to make sustainable progress rather, we have continued to march backwards with every preceding year looking worse than the previous one.  Regrettably, the decades that followed were marked by a series of missteps, mismanagement, and missed opportunities. The erosion of ethical governance, rampant corruption, and political instability became defining features of our nation. Instead of harnessing our potential for the collective good, our leaders often pursued personal interests, leaving the masses to grapple with the consequences. There is no other way

Subsidy Removal: Organised labour in Nasarawa joins nationwide protest

The organised labour in Nasarawa State has joined the nationwide protest against the hike in the price of petrol in the aftermath of the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy. The unions, consisting the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), led the protest march from Total Filling Station, Lafia, to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe. Speaking at the event on Wednesday in Lafia, Comrade Ismaila Oko, NLC Chairman, called on the Federal Government to reconsider the action in view of the hardship being experienced by the workers and the masses. The NLC chair said that the Federal Government should immediately take measures that would improve the lots of Nigerians before things get out of control. “Since the subsidy was removed, workers now spend their entire salaries on transport fares to their offices. “Workers can no longer cater for the school fees of their children, feed their family members and meet up to other responsibilities in the family,” Oko said. On his part, Comrade Mohammed Doma, TUC Chairman, urged the government to act fast to address the fuel hike. He wondered why the citizens of a country that was producing petroleum would be buying petrol at an exorbitant price that the citizens could not afford. “Our salaries cannot take care of our transportation to our offices, we are suffering,” the TUC Chairman noted. The union submitted a protest letter to the Head of Civil Service, Ms Abigail Waya, who lauded them for conducting themselves peacefully. Waya said that already both the Federal Government and the Nasarawa government had constituted committees to work out palliatives for the citizenry. She promised to brief Governor Abdullahi Sule about their issues and to submit their letter to him. 

Tinubu to address Nigerians amid nationwide hardship

On Monday, July 31, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will deliver a broadcast to the nation at 7 pm. The announcement was made on Monday morning by Dele Alake, the presidential spokesman, urging television, radio stations, and other electronic media outlets to tune in to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Radio Nigeria for the broadcast. Though the specific content of the address remains undisclosed, it comes at a time when the country is grappling with widespread hardship due to the removal of fuel subsidy, leading to an increase in petrol prices. President Tinubu has consistently appealed for calm, assuring the public that the government is diligently working to improve living conditions and alleviate the prevailing challenges. Interestingly, this address coincides with an upcoming nationwide protest by the organized labour, which is parleying civil society organisations as they prepare for an industrial action on August 2, and the ongoing strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The NARD has rejected the recent 25% increment in basic salary announced by the federal government, demanding the full restoration of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to its original value as approved in 2009. The association, represented by its president, Dr. Orji Emeka Innocent, secretary-general Dr. Chikezie Kelechi, and publicity and social secretary Dr. Umar Musa, vows to continue the nationwide total and indefinite strike action until the government takes significant steps to address their demands, including the release of the circular on the One-for-One policy for the replacement of exited clinical workers to ease work overload caused by brain drain. As Nigerians await President Tinubu’s address on Monday night, the nation is at a crucial juncture, grappling with pressing issues that demand immediate attention and resolution.