Unions and other civil society organisations protest against government policies in Nigeria
Unions and other civil society organisations protest against government policies in Nigeria
The Nigeria Labour Congress has joined with other civil society organisations under the umbrella of LASCO, the Labour and Civil Society Coalition, to protest against the economic policies being pursued by the Federal Government. Over million people took part in the first in a series of rallies held in Lagos on 14 September and addressed by the NLC President, Adams Oshiomhole, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka and Dr Beki-Ransome-Kuti of the Centre for Constitutional Government.
The purpose of the protests was to publicise a petition addressed to President Obasanjo, which included the following:
'The Labour and Civil Society Coalition wishes to once again strongly urge the president to reverse the recent increases in the prices of petroleum products and to set in motion the machinery for implementing the price stabilisation component of the Senator Ibrahim Mantu Report.
As Nigerians across all possible divides have demonstrated, the recent increases in fuel prices by the Federal Government have made life more unbearable for individual citizens, households, businesses, communities, generations, rural dwellers, women and every other imaginable segment of the working people all over the country.
While Nigerians were still groaning under the inflationary effects of previous fuel hikes, the latest round has predictably unleashed even more astronomical increases. Prices of every commodity and service have risen outrageously in both urban and rural areas. But wages have remained largely static, meaning that for average wage earners life is impossible.'
In his address to the crowd, the NLC President noted that a recent United Nations report confirmed that things were getting worse in Nigeria. Life expectancy had dropped from 51.6 to 43.4. He said it was not just a protest against the fuel hike but a rejection of poor governance and impoverishment of the people. He said it was a protest against destroying hard-earned democracy by a government that refused to listen to the people that gave it mandates to lead them.
The Lagos rally was followed by large protest rallies in other cities, expected to culminate in a rally in the Federal capital, Abuja, on 30 September.
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