The Nigerian Labour Congress has raised highbrow on the continued economic pain Nigerians grapple with daily and the recent court stoppage of Rivers state national accrual.
NLC tasks the Federal Government to urgently roll out concrete interventions instead of the current mere palliatives.
In the NLC’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting’s communique signed the body’s President Comrade Joe Ajaero, the body cited basic forms by which the workforce directly bears the brunt of the increasingly unbearable economic realities across all sectors, echoing the importance of quick intervention by the federal government.
“The NEC observes, with profound concern, the accelerating economic hardship inflicted upon Nigerian citizens. Inflation continues to rise unchecked, with the costs of basic necessities spiralling beyond the reach of the average worker.
“Millions of Nigerians are being driven into destitution, forced to choose daily between feeding their families and seeking healthcare.
“Access to energy has become a mirage while workers become increasingly poorer even as they work longer hours to meet their other basic needs. As a result, nutritional diseases like Kwashiorkor and Marasmus have resurfaced in Nigeria.”
The meeting held in Port Harcourt on Friday recorded the large turn out of stakeholders who dispassionately expressed worries over the current trends, while citing amongst others, the soaring cost of living and what appears a gang up against common Nigerians on price fixing for petrol.
“The NLC demands immediate, concrete interventions from the Federal Government, not token measures, to relieve this suffering.
“We call for the implementation of comprehensive social protection policies that shield Nigerians from poverty, provide affordable healthcare, and ensure a wage that reflects the true cost of living.
“To this end, we call for a wage review across the nation including a review of all the policies that have rather emasculated Nigerian people.
“It is entirely possible that Nigerian workers and masses are being ripped off by those who control the levers of Economic power in Nigeria which explains why the domestic public refineries may not immediately be allowed to come on stream.
“NLC demands appropriate pricing of petrol and calls for the Public domestic refineries in PH, Warri and Kaduna to quickly come back on stream to break-up the monopolistic stranglehold the big players have on the industry.”
On the stoppage of federal allocation to River State by the court, the NLC apex decision making strata (NEC) cited the dangerous precedent this amount to, going forward in other states of the federation while noting that the workforce are largely at the receiving end in the seeming political quagmire, it also calls for immediate action against the alleged military invasion of Oritsetimeyin Oil Rig.
“The NEC condemns the disturbing political situation in Rivers State, where a recent Court order seeks to block the disbursement of federally allocated revenue to the state.
“This punitive move, under the guise of legal recourse, may effectively cripple the state’s capacity to meet its obligations to workers and the wider population.
“The NLC stands in solidarity with the workers and people of Rivers State. We demand an immediate resolution that allows the state to continue to have unfettered access to its rightful revenue allocations.”
NLC also queried the sincerity of government in some states of the federation as it affects compliance with the payment of the agreed national minimum wage, while demanding freedom for protesters in various jails across the nation and more CNG buses from the federal government to adequately cushion the harsh economic realities on the Nigerian workforce.
“To this end, all state Councils where the National Minimum Wage has not been fully implemented by the last day of November, 2024 have been directed to proceed on strike beginning from the 1st day of December, 2024. Nigerian workers demand justice, and justice they shall have.
“NEC in session further calls on the President to release all remaining protesters in various jails across the nation as we had severally demanded earlier and creating adequate safeguards to avert future occurrence.
“NEC demanded the provision of more CNG buses to Congress and establish the needed infrastructure for fuelling and maintenance to provide cheaper transportation to Nigerian workers across the nation.”