By Akinwale Kasali
Following the move by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, to embark on an indefinite strike starting from October 3, 2023, a Group has described the move as destabilizing to the economy of the State.
A Group under the aegis of Civil Society Situation Room On Good Governance In Nigeria, CSSRGGN, has stated that the insistence of organised labour to embark on an indefinite strike action is a clog in the wheel for the prosperity and growth of the Nation’s economy.
The move which has generated widespread criticism, with the latest coming from the CSSRGGN, saw the CSO Group condemning
the move by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as highly unpatriotic and aimed to destabilise the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Dr. Thomas Uzah, National President/Convener of the Group said the organised labour is bent on bringing the Government down through street protests.
Uzah said the NLC and TUC’s obsession with mass action over dialogue despite calls from different quarters clearly shows that there is a hidden agenda.
“We hope that the leaders of organized labour fully appreciate the crimes they are committing with the sets of directives they have issued and that they also understand that they will invariably lose control of the mayhem they are trying to unleash on the country,” he added.
“We are, therefore, calling on Nigerians and the rest of the world to note that the NLC and TUC are preparing the citizenry for war, they are preparing the country for final implosion. We further ask the discerning to note that the opposition and their foreign collaborators are bankrolling NLC and TUC to bring the government down.
“We hereby issue another advisory that the opposition, NLC, and TUC have perfected plans to grow their street protests and rallies into full-blown war by stagging or orchestrating attacks on protesters by fake security operatives so that they can accuse the government of being heavy-handed and attempt to delegitimize the government before the international community of being repressive.
“We are worried about how this dangerous plot will play out given the other security challenges that the country is already battling with. There is the obvious danger of how this could worsen banditry, kidnap for ransom, and separatist elements that have in the past used mass protests as an opportunity to plant new cells in areas where they do not hitherto exist.
“The Civil Society Situation Room on Good Governance In Nigeria therefore urges security agencies to take proactive steps to prevent the catastrophe that NLC and TUC have plotted for the country.
“We renew our appeal to the Federal Government to look beyond the NLC and TUC. The government should increase and accelerate the implementation of its palliative measures for Nigerians.”
