Mohammed Shosanya
The Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC,has issued one-week ultimatum to the federal government to reverse the increasing cost of fuel on account of the recent removal of subsidy on the product in Nigeria.
The ultimatum also covers reversal of increase in public school fees,the release of the 8 months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers and reversal of increase in Value Added Tax as well as the immediate inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues.
Nigerians workers would be mobilized to commence national strike if the demands are not acceded after the expiration of the ultimatum,the labour union said in a communique on Wednesday.
President of NLC,Comrade Joe Ajaero,its General Secretary,Emmanuel Ugboaja,signed the communique,which was issued at the end of the union’s Central Working Committee,CWC meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
Premium News quotes the communique as saying that all the union’s affiliates and state councils have been put on notice to begin immediate mobilization and closely work with associations, individuals and other entities including the ones already on the streets to ensure that government listens to the people
The meeting observed hat the federal government has shown enormous disdain and contempt for Nigerian people and workers having acted and continued to act without regards to the welfare and cries of the citizenry.
It said,government seems to have declared a war of attrition on Nigerian workers and masses without any care leaving them to the throes of hopelessness and helplessness.
It also said that the federal government has refused to put in place safeguards to protect Nigerians from the harsh economic situation that its policies have inflicted on the people rather it has decided to insult the sensibilities of Nigerian masses by offering us N8,000 per family and offering themselves N70billion.
The communique added:”That the federal government has frustrated and abandoned its own Committee which was a product of social dialogue between the government and workers organisations in the country. While the Committee has not met, the government embarked on unilateral actions and programmes.that since Mr. President’s “subsidy is gone forever” speech at inauguration day; the peace of mind of Nigerians has gone; decent living gone increasing despair of unimaginable dimensions.
“That the federal government has continued to treat Nigerians as Slaves and a conquered people which it treats with impunity without any concern on the consequences.
“That the federal government has continued in an unholy mission of robbing the poor to pay the rich in Nigeria as typified by its continued frustration of the activation of the agreed alternatives to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and new hike in prices of PMS to N617 per litre.That the federal government has continued to promote the gang up of the ruling elite against Nigerian people and workers”
