February 27, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has kicked off its two-day nationwide protest against economic hardship.
The protest, which began on Tuesday morning, in different parts of the country, was flagged off in Abuja, by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
In Lagos, the protesters gathered around Ikeja under bridge as early as 7:00 am, bearing placards and putting on the paraphernalia of the NLC, as they displayed placards of various inscriptions.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, on Tuesday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the protest is about the level of hunger and failure to implement a new minimum wage.
He accused the federal government of failing to implement the proposals put forward by the NLC, following the removal of fuel subsidy.
His words: “There’s absolute hunger, and we’re told not to speak out; should we die of hunger? This protest is about minimum wage and hunger. What of those not working? When will minimum wages be completed and implemented? What will be the minimum wage that will end hunger?
“The United Nations said the poorest man should be fed on $2 daily. If you have a family of six people, you spend $12 daily and $360 monthly. This translates to about N700,000. This is on feeding alone; then there’s transportation, accommodation and medical.
“There was hunger in the land, but not this bad until deregulation. We made propositions after deregulation, but they were not implemented. If transportation issues were solved immediately after deregulation, 50 percent of the problem would have been solved.
“Even when you process garri in the village, you need to transport it to town, and you add the expenses incurred to the cost. The moment PMS went up, there were issues.”
Ahead of the protest, the Police assured of adequate protection and security of protesters, warning impostors against hijacking of the demonstration.
