By Chinasaokwu Helen Okoro
The Nigeria Labour Congress has denied reports that it has withdrawn from the planned nationwide protest against economic hardship scheduled for August 1.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the union cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise.
This was contained in a Tuesday press release signed by Ajaero titled, ‘The Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise.’
“A news report of the withdrawal of the Nigeria Labour Congress from the widely discussed national protest has been brought to our attention. The Nigeria Labour Congress debunks such a story as patently false.
The truth is that the Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise. It is only the organisers of the speculated national protest that can decide to pull out or continue with the protest,” Ajaero said.
Ajaero explained that the NLC has a structured decision-making process, which includes internal trade union mechanisms and leadership approval, that guides its industrial actions, such as protests, to ensure consideration before taking action.
Yet, the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress is not the body organising the protest does not mean that Organised Labour is oblivious of the dire living conditions Nigerians have been subjected to by the harsh economic policies of government,” he clarified.
He said the NLC is standing in solidarity with the Nigerian people in these “trying and excruciating times.”
Ajaero also called on President Bola Tinubu to invite the leaders of the protest movement to dialogue on their demands.
“Once again, we implore the Federal Government and the sub-national governments to listen to the cries of the Nigerian people and do the needful. After all, it is said that the voice of the people is the voice of God,” he said.
The planned protest has gained traction on social media, where it is trending under the hashtags ‘#EndBadGovernance,’ ‘#TinubuMustGo’ and ‘#Revolution2024.’
The Presidency and police authorities have called on the youths to abandon the plan.
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