Anambra State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has joined her counterpart across the country in a peaceful protest against policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
News Echo reports that all the affiliated bodies that constitute NLC in the state including representatives of the National Union of Road Transport Worker (NURTW), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and others assembled at the state NULGE Office Awka, at about 9:03am where the kicked-off the rally and was terminated at the Ekwueme Square Awka. In his address, the State Chairman of NLC, Comrade Humphrey Emeka Nwafor, said the protest is to bring to notice the hardship the citizens of Nigerians are passing through in the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, the organised labour in Anambra State under my leadership, are joining the national body to send the message to the Federal Government. The Subsidy removal the Federal Government announced during Tinubu’s Inauguration has inflicted so much hardship to Nigerians. “Other Nigerians should equally raise their voices against the current economy status of the country.
We demanded that the FG should pay the 8-months salary of University workers. The FG should not allow private companies to determine the price increase of petroleum products for Nigerians, when we have our regulatory agency. We are not accepting the N8, 000 palliative. As I speak, the cost of living here in Anambra State is very high.
The current house rent in Awka is higher than other state capitals of the Federation while workers monthly salaries remain the same. We called on President Tinubu to revise all the anti-policies he has put in place for the sake of the poor masses.
Comrade Nwafor noted that the protest match was a warning to the Federal Government to do the needful. However, members of the NLC were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions such as ‘End fuel price increase, Fix our local refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, No to Jumbo pay for politicians, TUC stronger together, stop naira devaluation, we cannot bear the suffering of any more, pay University workers their salaries, 8,000 palliative to households insult to Nigerians, among others. The protest was peacefully monitor by security personnel from the Police and DSS.
In their separate contributory speeches, the NURTW state Chairman, Comrade Dominic Ezebuenyi, ASUU-UNIZIK Chairman, Comrade Kingsley Ubaorji, the state NULGE Chairman, Comrade Adigwe Chikwelu and the NUJ Chairman, Comrade Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, also appealed to the Government to help reconsider the policies for the sake of poor Nigerians who cannot afford two square meals per day.
