The Delta state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Tuesday in Asaba, the state capital joined its counterparts across the country to protest against the economic hardship being experienced in Nigeria.
The protesting workers embarked on the peaceful procession along the popular Okpanam Road through the Nnebisi Road, to the Government House gate at Asaba, singing solidarity songs.
Leading the NLC protest, the first vice chairman of Delta State Council of the NLC, Ziko Okwudi, told the state government represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Kingsley Emu, that they were in the Government House to register their grievances against the economic hardship in the country.
He said the wage award promised to workers by the federal government had not been given to them.
According to Okwudi, Nigerians are being controlled by hunger. He added that “when a man is hungry, he is angry and an angry man is insane and at that point of insanity, anything we do, we will be termed as hungry and we will not be held responsible”.
He said that the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has been very “inactive and insensitive to the plights of the Nigerian people”.
Okwudi said, “We have begun to understand that the man at the helm of affairs in Delta State, ordinarily is not supposed to be a politician by his conduct and his attitude but destiny has given him the opportunity to lead Delta State.
“So, by so doing we have called him a politician and because he is a politician today, we know his disposition towards the plight of the people. He is a man who is very blunt when it comes to speaking the truth. All the federal government has promised the Nigerian workers, we are yet to see any that has materialized.”
Receiving the NLC protesters on behalf of the state government, Emu praised the workers for the peaceful protest and implored them not to allow hoodlums to hijack it.
He said that their request would be presented to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for onward presentation to the Federal Government, adding, “I want to thank the Nigerian workers for your considerations and kind talks today. Your Governor sends his greetings. Your leadership has made a good case for you. The issue is not just affecting you but also our brothers and sisters. So, we are concerned Nigerians; whether you are working or not. Governor Oborevwori is a caring governor and we shall take all of these you have said to him.
“Before he ascended power, he told you he was going to take care of a lot of bills. First, is the pension and I am sure you know that that pension has been aggressively addressed. The second is the issue of your promotion arrears; you also know that it has been taken care of. He rescheduled your work days to suit your wallets and we consistently kept to that. He said he was going to give out some stipends for some months and he has done that. He is somebody who cares for you and I am sure you appreciate him.
“When he made those commitments, Nigeria has not gotten to a crossroads; we didn’t have this kind of economic hardship. He feels your pains because he is in tune with the streets and understands the market and he is connected to his people.”
The SSG described the hardship in the country as a pandemic, adding that everybody feels the pain.
He said, “Your plights, worries and conditions will be taken back to the governor. We are all angry. You are not the only one angry. As citizens of Delta State, we are angry because while we protect our state, we are still vulnerable to external migration of people who don’t live in the state.”
He, therefore, called on the federal government to listen to the cry of the labour union, adding that there were too many cities where the federal government should have sent out CNG buses.
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