Ahead of the planned nationwide protest by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, scheduled for February 27 and 28, a group under the aegis of the Nigerian Civil Society Forum has said it would not allow the union to plunge the country into anarchy.
The NLC had fixed next Tuesday and Wednesday to protest against inflation and the hardship in the country.
However, addressing journalists on Friday in Abuja during a solidarity walk from Unity Fountain to the National Assembly gate, the Co-convener of the group, Sunday Attah, said calling for protest against a government that is just eight months in office was uncalled for.
His words, “We must understand the trajectory of how the NLC has operated over time. Remember in this same country, when fuel subsidy was removed they got up and claimed to be standing for Nigerians.
“They fought and said fuel subsidy should not be removed but after a series of meetings, which of course today they are saying didn’t yield any fruit, we know how these ‘colour’ paper exchanged hands and matters died on the ground.
“We are not going to allow the NLC to plunge Nigeria into anarchy. Calling for protest against an eight months old government is uncalled for. The president is doing all his best, he is not a magician, all that Nigerians need at the moment is to be patient with the president. When a woman gets pregnant it takes nine months for her to deliver and when the child is born it takes another one to two years for the child to walk.”
Attah added that in the United Kingdom, the British economy is in recession, and yet people are not protesting against the government?
On his part, the Convener of the group, Terrence Kuanum, said the planned nationwide protest by the NLC was an act of sabotage.
According to him, ”what is happening is sabotage and we already anticipated this sabotage because few Nigerians were benefiting immensely from this subsidy regime and insecurity that was in this country.
“I am hungry, you are hungry but it is not by sabotaging the system or antagonising the system that we can resolve this issue. We can only resolve this issue as patriotic Nigerians who are concerned that we need to resolve this problem and the generation next to us doesn’t face it.”
