The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has refuted claims that it has withdrawn from the planned national protest against hunger and the high cost of living, clarifying that it cannot pull out of a protest it did not organize.
The NLC also urged the federal and sub-national governments to heed the cries of hungry Nigerians and take proper action.
In a statement on Wednesday, NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero reaffirmed the labour movement’s earlier call for the government to engage in dialogue with the protest organizers, warning that resorting to brute force would be counterproductive.
The Nigeria Labour Congress issued a statement saying, “A news report claiming that the Nigeria Labour Congress has withdrawn from the widely discussed national protest has come to our attention. We assert that this story is entirely false.
The reality is that the Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest it did not organize. Only the organizers of the rumored national protest have the authority to decide whether to continue or call it off.”
“The Nigeria Labour Congress has internal trade union mechanisms, including leadership decision-making processes, that its industrial actions, such as protests, must go through before being carried out.”
“However, the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress is not organizing the protest does not imply that Organized Labour is unaware of the severe living conditions Nigerians are enduring due to the government’s harsh economic policies.”
