The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Ogun State has begun a two-day protest as ordered by the national body of workers in the country.
The NLC said the protest became important considering the prevailing economic hardship currently ravaging Nigeria.
This hardship was occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and continuous fall of the naira against the dollar.
Before the NLC announced its nationwide protest, residents of Kano, Niger, Oyo, Edo, Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, Borno and Osun, among other states, had taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest economic hardship.
Barely two weeks ago, the leadership of the NLC announced that the two-day rally (slated for today and tomorrow) is to compel both the federal and state governments to tackle the problem of insecurity, hunger and the continued rise in poverty across the country.
Speaking with journalists during the protest in Abeokuta, the Chairman of Ogun State NLC, Comrade Hammed Ademola-Benco, stated that the rally is hinged on getting good deals for Nigerians.
Ademola-Benco said, “This protest is about getting good deals for the people of the country. The truth is that people are suffering, many Nigerians are hungry, and the price of food has reached the rooftop.
“The wage awards that they promised are 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.”
The Chairman further described the protest as very successful as every leadership of the 40 affiliates of the union in Ogun State are on ground to participate in the peaceful rally
Also speaking at the protest ground, National Vice President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, Comrade Yinka Folarin, regretted that a government that promised renewed hope for Nigerians has dashed the hope of the common man in the country.
Comrade Folarin further noted that “for instance insecurity is one of the contributing factors to scarcity of food and the exorbitant prices, this government has not demonstrated enough commitment to serve Nigerians. Things must change because Nigerians did not file out last year February to vote for hardship and the way things are in the country.”
Security agencies such as the police, Department of State Services, DSS; and operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, are on ground to maintain law and order.