Return of Citizenship

“No fundamental social change occurs merely because government acts. It’s because civil society, the conscience of a country, begins to rise up and demand - demand - demand change”. - Joe Biden

Having voted massively for the current government two years ago without the much expected changes for a better life, last week, Nigeria Labour Congress [NLC] and Trade Union Congress, TUC led mass protests in Abuja, Lagos and other cities. In Abuja, the protests warmed up Aso Rock presidential Villa and the National Assembly. NLC protest was tagged a “National Day of Action Against Corruption and for Good Governance” targeted against “antipeople policies” of the government, shabby anti-corruption campaign and poor treatment of workers, among other things.

The workers also protested against the delay in upward review of minimum wage amidst increasing cost of items in the country. With official inflation rate at double digit and massive Naira devaluation, the mass protests are long overdue. The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, alongside their Civil Societies allies presented 18-Point Demands to the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

Displaying placards of different descriptions, the labour leaders observed that the level of hardship in the country had risen to alarming proportions and that workers were the worst hit of the current recession and thereby demanded for an increase in the minimum wage.

“They also disclosed that they would soon drag some of the state governors to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, for the alleged diversion of bail-out funds recently released by the Federal Government for the payment of workers’ salaries, arrears, pensions and gratuity.”

For once the faces of the ordinary Nigerians hit the headlines, a departure from the norm of the headlines of the government officials promising what they hardly deliver.

Some inscriptions on the placards by the workers among other things demanded good governance, accountability and sustained fight against corruption saying Nigerians were tired of bad governance which has led to abject poverty in the country. Some of the placards reads: “Make payment of salaries a priority, our salaries can’t take us home again electricity tariff hike in the face of darkness is the height of wickedness, building infrastructure without payment of salaries isomer corruption, owing workers’ salaries is an act of corruption no electricity, no industrialisation, replace importation with production and non-payment of pension is bad governance among others.”

Addressing the workers during the protest rally for good governance at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba articulated the demands of the protesters thus; government must take concrete steps to prove to the world that it was serious to win the fight against corruption and recover all stolen money, stressing that the nation lost about $22 billion not remitted to the federation account from sale of oil and gas. Advising the government to come hard on the looters of the nation’s treasury, Wabba said, “We must not allow a situation where few, because of their interest will hold the system to ransom. We are demanding increase in electricity supply and they are saying lag more tariff, we are demanding increase in minimum wage and they say they are going to be paying in percentage. We should not be tired. Why should somebody steal one billion naira and walk the street free? We are demanding that they should be named and shamed. We are also demanding that one of their hands be cut off so that when we see them, we will know that they are people that have stolen our money. So, let us not be tired. Not to pay salaries and pensions is criminal. Not to increase our wages in this condition is corruption and so, we must demand good governance and support the fight against corruption.

“It is obvious that what we are doing today is in our collect interest. As working class and our families and as Nigerians, we must always make our voice know and heard very clearly.

“Today, with what is happening in our system, we are actually at the receiving end because there is near absence of good governance and corruption is also fighting back very badly and we have been at the receiving end. Instead of addressing those challenges and paying salaries, what they are doing in some states is paying salaries in percentages.

“The height of this challenge is the absence of good governance, accountability, transparency and the rule of law, any system that does not have those ingredients, the first group that will suffer is the working class and their families and the citizens.

“That is why we are matching to canvass for good governance and also to lend our voice to saying that the fight against corruption must continue. If you look at the NEITI report, it states clearly that unremitted fund from the sale of oil and gas amount to another 22 billion dollars.

“If we have this money, I am sure that the challenge we are passing through would not have been there. Few people connive to transfer this money into their personal account and we are saying tau government must find the will to implement these reports and whoever is affected must be made to refund the money.”

It is commendable however that the government has seen the return of citizenship as a wakeup call with Acting President while meeting On Thursday with an NLC/TUC team and assured them that the Federal Government was determined to give the ordinary man a fair deal.