Anambra NLC Joins Nationwide Protest against Hardship

By Ikeugonna Eleke

The Anambra State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Wednesday helda peaceful march to protest the hardship on Nigerians, caused by the removal of fuel subsidy by the President Bola Tinubu-led government.

Various bodies that make up the union gathered at the state office of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), from where the protest kicked off.

The protesters who carried placards with various inscriptions marched to Ekwueme Square,Awka, a short distance from the NULGE office.

Inscriptions on some of the placards read; ”End fuel price increase”; ”Fix our local refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna”; ”No to jumbo pay for politicians”; ”Stop Naira devaluation”; ”We cannot bear the suffering anymore”; ”Pay university workers their salaries”;”N8,000 palliative to households, insult to Nigerians”, among others.

Fides reports that only a few workers joined the protest, just as the leaders of the various unions were also reluctant to hold the protest.

A union leader who spoke under the cover of anonymity, said: ‘The protest is majorly against the federal government, so there is no need for us to go around picketing state workers since Governor ChukwumaSoludo has been consistent in the payment of salaries and other benefits.’

But the State Chairman of NLC, Comrade Humphrey EmekaNwafor, who addressed the protesters, said: ‘The hardship Nigerians are passing through in this present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is too much.

‘Other Nigerians should equally add their voices against the current economic status of the country. We demand that the FG should pay the 8-month salary of University workers.

‘The FG should not allow private companies to determine the price and increase of petroleum products for Nigerians, when we have our regulatory agency. We are not accepting the N8,000 palliative.

‘As I speak, the cost of living here in Anambra State is very high. The current house rent in Awka is higher than those of other state capitals of the Federation while workers monthly salaries remain the same.

‘We called on President Tinubu to reverse all the anti-people policies he has put in place for the sake of the poor masses.’

He said that protest march was a warning to the Federal Government to do what was right to save Nigerians from hardship.