The Nigeria Labour Congress has refuted claims by the Department of State Services alleging that certain groups, including Labour unions, have planned to cause violence in the North Central part of the country.
The DSS, in a statement issued on Saturday, said some groups plan to cause ethno-religious crisis, ignite reprisals and heat up the polity.
The agency also said there was a plot to use students, striking university teachers, labour unions, disgruntled individuals and strategic groups as well as exploit the global energy situation to carry out a mass protest like the #ENDSARS protest of 2020.
Reacting in a statement by its President, Ayuba Wabba, the NLC advised the secret police to rechannel its energy and resources into bringing to justice those who have become enemies of Nigerians rather than issuing statements suggesting the ‘criminality’ of trade unions.
The labour group also distanced itself from such a movement, stating that it informs the DSS and other security agencies of its activities, especially when such are undertaken in the public space.
It added, “In all our undertakings as
trade unions and labour centres, we have never been found to be violent or complicit in encouraging acts of brigandage. It is, therefore, surprising that the DSS would suddenly decide to lump trade unions in a log of organizations.”
The group further noted, “Citizens have the right to draw the attention of government to their plight through petitions, peaceful protests, and other advocacy initiatives. It would be greatly disrespectful to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and our democratic order to issue statements that appear to scare citizens from their rights to peacefully engage their government.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress has already condemned and rejected
the current paralysis of academic activities in our universities which we believe is as a result of government dishonouring commitments made in Collective Bargaining Agreements with university lecturers.
“We have also lampooned the persisting scarcity of refined petroleum
products which have exposed our people, especially workers to great suffering and anguish. We have already spoken and we are still speaking to draw the attention of government to do the needful.
“The Congress is also deeply worried that the repeated collapse of the national electricity grid in the past few weeks has thrown most of the country in total blackout. We are further concerned that the continued issuing of estimated billings to electricity consumers by DISCOs have intensified the suffering Nigerians are going through.
“We have had reasons in the past to protest against the neglect of Nigeria’s critical electricity assets and anti-people electricity policies. We do not need clandestine meetings with State Governors, some of whom treat workers terribly, to ventilate our concerns on issues that affect Nigerian workers and people.
“Our pain as citizens, workers, students, traders and professionals becomes more excruciating with the knowledge that our ordeal and vicissitudes are all self-inflicted.
“We urge the security agencies that instead of investing in scare alarms, they should rather re-channel their energy and resources and help bring to justice the real enemies of public order and stability – importers of adulterated petrol, petroleum marketers and filling station operators who are busier in ungodly hours selling to black marketers, and dispense with only one pump or two in broad daylight thus subjecting citizens to harrowing petrol queues.
“We believe that the intervention of relevant agencies of government can bring both the glitch in the petroleum products supply chain and the atrocious sharp practices at the points of retail under control.”
