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NLC President Leads Protesters To National Assembly, say Nigerians are dying of hunger

Published

5 months ago

February 27, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

…as NASS Leadership say efforts on to urgently address problem

By Gloria Ikibah

The Nigeria labour Congress NLC, has commenced its two-day national protest in Abuja.

The protest strated from the Labour House in Abuja at about 9.36am with members of other Labour like the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, FCT Council, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Construction Workers Union among others.

Also present at the protest was former Country Rep. ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Siwore among others.

To make their grievances known on the current economichardshipin the country, the protesters had placards with inscriptions such as “#END POVERTY AND HUNGER”, “#FIX LOCAL REFINERIES END SUBSIDY “, “#END NAIRA DEVALUATION; TAX THE RICH SUBSIDISE THE POOR” among others.

Addressing members of the national Assembly on Tuesday at the NASS complex, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who decried that Nigerians are dying of hunger as a result of the economic hardship in the country, urged the Federal Government to urgently address the situation.

Naijablitznews.com reports that Comrade Ajaero led thousands of protesters including civil society organizations in protest against the economic hardship.

He said: “We thank everyone for making this happen. Today has come to pass. They said we should not be but we are here. We are here because there is hunger in the land. History will not forgive us if we do not protest at the level of hunger in the land. It is to signal to the authorities that there is a problem in the land”.

The NLC President further lamented the falling value of the Naira, growing insecurity, and rising unemployment among other issues.

He said that immediate measures must be taken to address the suffering, adding that the NLC would decide its next line of action.

The NLC President presented a letter containing their grievances to the representative of the leadership of the National Assembly.

Chairman Senate Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang, who accepted the letter on behalf of the National Assembly said they were aware of the hardship and assured that efforts would be made to urgently address the situation.

He promised that the letter would be dispatched accordingly.

“We are supposed to stand in for Nigerians where it pinches them. I want to assure you that the National Assembly is very sensitive to what is happening, very sensitive.

“The leadership of the National Assembly, yesterday, the Senate President and the Speaker met. I was with them. We parted around 12 midnight and all the issue is about bringing solution to the suffering and yearnings of Nigerians.

“We are at a very critical period that Nigeria is taking a decision that would be of economic advantage to all of us.

“My plea and our plea is for the union to reason with us, understand with us. There is no way we will allow this thing to continue. But steps must be taken.

“Already the 15th agenda of the Memorandum of Understanding given between government and labour are being tackled. The last issue that is in place is the issue of minimum wage and negotiations are going on.

“There is no way that we will not end up with a resolution and a decision that will benefit Nigerians.

“I assure you that all of us, the press, general public, everybody is feeling it, but Nigeria will succeed. The president will succeed. We will succeed. We are very sensitive to it. So may God Almighty, help us to maximize our potentials, maximize our natural resources, may we intervene in such a way that all Nigerians will be able to exploit the God-given wealth that we have. We are all on the same page”, he stated.

Also, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Labour and Productivity, Rep. Adefarati Adeboyega, supported his Senate counterpart.

“We will take your letter to the leadership of the Nation Assembly. Very soon you will hear from us. We are facing the same challenges.

The economic challenges and hardship faced by Nigeria is borne by everybody.

“I want to assure you that the leadership of the National Assembly will look into your request and demands and take swift and bold action. I can assure you Nigeria will breathe again,” he added.

Naijablitznews.com reports that various security agencies were seen stationed around the entery and exit points of the National Assembly particularly the Federal Secretariat axis to ensure the orderliness of the action.

Despite several warning by some security agencies, the NLC went ahead with a protest against the economic hardship in the country.

Naijablitznews.com recalled that the DSS had last week warned that some persons are planning to use the opportunity of the planned protests by organized labour slated for 27th and 28th February to foment crisis and widespread violence.

The Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, DSS National Headquarters in Abuja, Dr. Peter Afunanya, in a statement, had called on labour to shelve the action meant to protest the economic situation in the country in the interest of peace.

He had urged that they pursue dialogue and negotiation rather than engaging in conducts that could heighten tensions in the country.

These entreaties however seem to have fell on deaf ears as the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, insisted that the protest must go on.

News

Po!n, betting sites recorded 162m Nigerian visitors in June – Report

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2024

Admin

A report by global data and business intelligence platform, StatiSense, has revealed that more than 162 million Nigerians visited porn and betting websites in June 2024.

According to the platform’s most recent data, which lists the top ten websites that Nigerians saw on their mobile devices in June, a sizable percentage of this traffic visited websites with gambling and pornographic content.

A post on StatiSense’s official X page revealed that a variety of search engines, social media apps, and betting platforms were among the most popular websites.

Notably, two pornographic websites, Xvideos and Xnxx, came in second and sixth place respectively with a total of 80.18 million visits.

In addition, Nigerian mobile users visited sporting websites 176.83 million times. Of these, 83.1 million visits were allocated to sports betting sites Sportybet and Bet9ja, which secured third and fourth places on the list.

Google and Facebook were also among the sites that featured prominently in the report.

News

Reps hail Wike, Tamuno over AICL’s improved revenue, infrastructure

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2024

Admin

Members of the House of Representatives’ Committee on FCT, led by Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara have applauded the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike over ongoing infrastructural development projects across the nation’s capital city.

The lawmakers who spoke during an interactive session with the Group Managing Director of Abuja Investment Company Limited (AICL), Dr. Maureen Tamuno applauded her ingenuity towards improved revenue generation since her assumption of office.

While presenting her scorecard and strategy adopted in the turnaround of Abuja Investment Company Limited to the Committee, Dr. Tamuno disclosed that AICL only manages the district markets, not the entire markets across the territory.

According to her, Wuse Markets is owned 90 percent by the individuals who bought the shops while AICL owns 10 percent.

“For example, Wuse Market is owned 90 percent by the owners, we own 10 percent. What Abuja Management does for Wuse market is to manage the facility there through the toll taking which they do collect on our behalf and then they manage the facilities, they manage the refuse collections and they also work with the market association.”

News

Tinubu serious in solving economic crisis — Wike

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2024

Admin

Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Friday said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is serious in solving the economic crisis in the country.

Wike gave the assurance during the inspection of the ongoing construction of the 7.3 kilometers Gaba/Tokulo road in Bwari Area Council.

He pleaded with Abuja residents to give the present administration the needed support to deliver the dividends of democracy.

Addressing reporters during the inspection visit, the FCT Minister expressed satisfaction with the speed and quality of work on the road project and assured that it will be adequately funded to ensure its timely completion by December this year.

The Minister who revealed that the project was 40 percent complete, said about 70 percent of the contractual sum has been paid to the contractor by the FCT Administration and expressed confidence in the capacity of the contractor to deliver the project within the agreed schedule.

Wike further disclosed that the Gaba/Tokulo road, when completed, will not only enhance transportation in the rural parts of the FCT, but will also improve food security in the nation’s capital by providing access to the farmlands, as well as access to the markets.

He also stressed the commitment of the FCT Administration to providing infrastructure in the FCT Area Councils, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Wike said: “So many people have thought that we are only concentrating in the city. Yesterday, we were in Saburi, today we are in Bwari. Tomorrow, we will be in Kuje, so that people will understand that while we are doing in the city, we are also carrying out development in the satellite towns and the rural areas because by the Renewed Hope Agenda, development is not only to be concentrated within the city but also to take to the rural areas in order to improve the economy.

“Here is an agrarian area; without this road, how are they going to move their goods? And this is part of the problems we have in terms of food insecurity. People are talking about shortages of food, but if we don’t have means of transportation, that is also a problem.

“We are trying to solve that problem of transportation for farmers to be able to go and bring whatever they have produced for people to consume or to buy”.

Wike, while thanking the people of Bwari for their support for the government, also reiterated that President Tinubu was committed to addressing the economic problems of the country and called for their continued support.

He said: “We thank the people of Bwari and we want to also let them know that the government of President Tinubu is serious about solving the economic crisis we have. All we urge Nigerians is just to be patient.