Despite the last-minute efforts by the government and warnings from the security agencies to deter the 2-day planned protests by Nigeria Labour Congress, the workers affirmed their action against economic hardship and in the country by taking to the streets, singing, chanting and calling on government to attend to the pains of the masses.

The rally was a huge success as participation was good and orderly. The government failed to convince labour to shelve its protests in a meeting yesterday. A government delegation led by George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation, met with the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other labour leaders and tried to convince them of efforts made to achieve the 16-point agreement reached with them in October 2023.

After the meeting, Ajaero insisted that the union would embark on a peaceful rally to express their grievances over the deteriorating economic crisis and the high cost of living in the country.

Lagos State Police Commissioner in a conversation with protesters.

Reckoning with the order given by the NLC president, the Lagos chapter of the NLC and other civil society organisations converged at Ikeja under the bridge and walked down to the state secretariat in Alausa to express their grievances against fuel subsidy removal, which led to excruciating hardship in the country. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fayoade Adegoke Mustapha, was also present to monitor the demonstration and even addressed the protesters.

He urged them to be orderly assuring them that the Police would give them protection and that they should be careful and not allow hoodlums to join them or hijack their protest.

On their list of demands, the Labour union demanded the implementation of the agreement the federal government had with them following the removal of fuel subsidy. The agreement’s provisions include payment of wage awards to cushion the effect of the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal; agreeing on a new minimum wage for workers; provision of CNG vehicles and others.

Speaking at the protest, the NLC chairperson, Funmi Sessi, stated that the purpose of the two-day action is to call on the government to respond to the call of Nigerian citizens across the country to fix the high cost of living that has pervaded the country’s economy. She also explained that the workers are now being affected by the economic degeneration the country is experiencing.

Ms Sessi further maintained that even though the government has been providing palliatives to cushion the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy in the country, there is a need to call for a state of emergency on food distribution to all states and local governments of the federation.

“We are here today to show our grievances about the state of the nation and to submit our letter to the Lagos state government. It is no more news that the cost of food and other things has gone high in the country, and we, the workers, are affected as other Nigerians.

“The insecurity in the country is also high; in those days, we used to travel across the country to play tennis, but now, we are scared to transverse the country by road again. The cost of a flight has also gone up. Last week I was checking on the cost of a flight to London, and I realised it had become 2 million; this is not good enough.

“We are calling on the government to rise to the situation and fix the country. The first step is to distribute foodstuffs to all the country, at least that will serve as a relief to the people”, she said.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, who also spoke at the demonstration, emphasized that the government must address the anomalies in Nigeria because the people’s suffering is getting intolerable. Additionally, he urged the government to rescind any anti-people policies as that has kept the country in a tough situation.

The human rights lawyer also called the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to address the organised labour tomorrow instead of sending representatives to the protesters.

Oyo State

In Oyo State, the protest took place with workers and pro-labour organisations rallying against economic hardship in the country. The protest began at the state secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan, the state capital, and spread throughout the city.

Addressing the protesters, the state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, appealed to the protesters to join the government in fixing the problem by finding lasting solutions to the challenges in the country. Later, Makinde spoke to the demonstrators and urged patience and understanding as the government dealt with their demands.

Osun State

Similarly, protests rocked Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, as members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and other pro-labour organisations trooped out en masse complaining about hardship in the country.

The protesters took to the streets around 8:00 am, from Freedom Park in the state capital to the Ola-Iya axis, displaying banners and placards with inscriptions like ‘end hunger now’ ‘end economic hardship’, and ‘end high cost of living, Some protesters also carried a banner which stated, “President Bola Tinubu, let the poor breathe”.

Ogun State
In the same vein, the protests took place in Ogun state as members of the Labour Congress in the state joined their colleagues across the country.

Speaking during the protest, the NLC chairman in the state, Hammed Ademola-Benco stated that they joined the protest to demand the government’s intervention to reduce hardship in the country.

“This protest rally is about getting good deals for the people of the country. The truth is that people are suffering, many Nigerians are hungry, and the prices of food have reached the rooftop.

“The wage award that they promised is still not being paid by many states, the government must stop carrying on as if all is well. We are only calling on the government to be responsible and attend to our demands which are about making lives more rewarding and enjoyable for the people”, he said.

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