Bauchi Organized Labour joins nationwide protest, accuses President Tinubu of trying to suffocate Nigerians
Samuel Luka, Bauchi
The Bauchi state Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Council (TUC) on Wednesday joined the nationwide protest to show their displeasure against the recent removal of fuel subsidy.
Addressing journalists during the protest in the state, the state Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Dauda Shuaibu accuses the Nigerian government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of trying to suffocate Nigerians.
The NLC Chairman who stated that the labour union has little or no issue with the state government, pointed out that their grievances is directed at the President of Nigeria.
Comrade Shuaibu who noted that the nationwide protest was in view of the removal of fuel subsidy without palliative measures, said that the measure has subjected many households to untold hardship.
He added that the protest was aimed at drawing the attention of the Federal Government on the current economic hardship and astronomical cost of living imposed on the citizens by the new administration President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, the removal of subsidy on petroleum without any palliative measures to cushion the effect has caused serious hardship on Nigerians for over two months now.
“Today, it is no longer news that from the date of the popular speech of Mr. President on 29 of May, 2023, ‘the subsidy is gone’, the lives of our citizens were swing into darkness, total jeopardy, unthinkable hardship and economic destabilization, especially, the working class who has a fixed income”, the Organized Labour said.
Comrade Shuaibu said citizens today could not afford to one square meal, not to talk of a normal two or three square meals.
He stressed that for the average working class, the cost of living and transportation to working places had multiplied three times.
“We can no longer put a food on the table of our families. We have been disorganized and for the past two months, nothing has changed to give hope that something better is coming as a relief to reduce the hardship we are grappling with”, he said.
We are simultaneously engaged in this action today across all the 36 states and the FCT to underscore our deep concern and express our total displeasure on the national policy approach of the President.
“We are therefore, calling for the immediate implementation of our demand as presented to the Federal government through the National Headquarters of NLC and TUC”, Shuaibu said.
He said that the implementation should be in good faith of all the resolutions reached between the Organized Labour and the government.
