By Ogenyi Ogenyi,Uyo
Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress,NLC, in Akwa Ibom, Comrade Sunny James has said that Organised Labour would continue to engage in actions that would force political leaders in the country to implement policies that would revamp the economy and reduce hardship.
This is even as he has attributed the current untold economic hardship in the country to unfavourable economic policies of President Bola Tinubu led Federal Government.
James who led the protest called by the NLC on Tuesday from Idongesit Nkanga Secretariat, Uyo, to both the State Assembly Complex and the Government House lamented that people have been stretched to their limit due to excessive hunger and hardship.
The NLC chairman urged House Speaker, Udeme Otong, to encourage his members to make laws that would address the problems of the people and enable them to eat on daily basis.
He said the present economic situation of the country does not need laws that do not have meaning and positive impact noting that Nigerians are suffering due to unfavorable policies of the present Federal Government.
He also noted that the nationwide protest would be domesticated in Akwa Ibom State such that the Governor Umo Eno should ensure that workers’ peculiar demands are addressed.
According to James, “we are here to present our position to members of Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly that they need to make laws in the direction of our problem, laws that will be beneficial to us. We don’t need laws that don’t make meaning to us.
“If the leaders are not willing to change the situation, we will force them to change the situation, how can we be buying a bag of rice at N95,000 and a cup of garri at N500?
“In Akwa Ibom State, this protest has to be domesticated, we need our gratuity, we need our promotion arrears, we need our 2023 promotion to be released immediately, we need the CNG buses to work, we need our refineries to work, we need increase in our wages, we need the prices of our staple food to come down, we need to see rice from Ini, we need to see garri and tomatoes been sold at our secretariat here.
“We are presenting these proposals to the governor and we give him a timeline, if he does not listen to us, we shall gather again for a protest.”
James however commended the commissioner of Police and the leader of DSS in the State for their solidarity and support especially for giving the protesters premium security and ensuring that there was no hitch.
Otong in his response described the protest as orderly and peaceful, and promised to look into the prayers of the NLC as contained in their letter.
The Speaker assured the protesters of the governor’s readiness to put up all measures to assuage their suffering noting that the three laws that would be passed today (Tuesday) are geared towards bringing down the cost of living vis a vis the prices of commodities.
“Be assured that no matter what happens you have somebody like me who is once a comrade you can rely on. I’ll ensure that all your demands as contained in this letter receive legislative action.
“Thank God we have a proactive Governor who is on top of the situation. The three laws we are going to pass today will bring down the cost of living. The governor has assured me that he will meet with the leadership of NLC and TUC to address some of these issues.” He said.
