… FG should listen to Nigerians, not IMF, World Bank
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) nationwide strike which commenced today has been very peaceful, especially in Lagos State, even as labour says government must act fast and should rather listen to Nigerians than the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.
The mass protest commenced as early as 7am on Wednesday from under bridge, Computer village in Ikeja and terminated at the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) secretariat, where the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat addressed them.
Hamzat appreciated the protesters for the peaceful conduct of the protest and promised that the government would look into some of their requests. He also assured them that their letter would be transmitted to the President.
Speaking to journalists, the chairperson NLC Lagos State chapter, Comrade Funmi Sessi, said, “We need the government to remedy the situation. Government should take the issue of palliatives very seriously. People trek long distances to work. Some spend over N3,000 on transport on a daily basis.
“The President has asked us to have patience and make sacrifice. The National Assembly has budgeted N70 billion for themselves. Why are they not making sacrifices too? Nothing has been allocated to the formal and informal sectors. The woman that sells paper, how does she cope? The government should show leadership. We have transmitted our letter to the President through the state government,” she added.
Comrade Ismail Bello, Deputy National leader of the NLC who came from the headquarters, Abuja to supervise the protest said, “People find it difficult to move around because of the fuel subsidy removal. It will surprise you that people spend as much as N3,000 to N4,000 to go to their places of work and places of business.
“We engaged the President in June 5th and we thought that there would be hope. We are in a crisis situation now. Government should act fast. Government policies are not cast on iron. Government should reverse the policies. Government should listen to the people, not the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. If the government acts fast we will take a decision concerning the ongoing strike,” Bello said.
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