NATIONWIDE PROTEST: FALANA WRITES FG, SAYS NLC NOT IN CONTEMPT OF COURT

have advised the members of the NLC to conduct the rallies scheduled for February 27-28, 2024 in a peaceful manner, we urge you to use your good offices to direct the IG to provide adequate security to the conveners and participants in the protest in line with the provisions of Section 83(4) of the Police Establishment Act."

The AGF had urged the NLC to shelve its proposed nationwide protest on the grounds that the protest would amount to contempt of court.

On February 16, NLC announced a nationwide protest scheduled for February 27 and 28, in response to the economic challenges facing the country. This decision followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the federal government regarding the widespread hardship.

But Fagbemi, in a letter addressed to Falana, reminded NLC of a subsisting order restraining the union from embarking on any industrial action, saying it is antithetical to the mediatory engagements leading to the execution of the agreement.

However, NLC, in a statement yesterday, alleged that the federal government had perfected plans to attack its members that would participate in the scheduled peaceful rallies across the country, but said workers remained resolute, determined and prepared to express their pain and grief in a peaceful manner as Nigerians

A statement signed by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, identified the Nigeria Civil Society Forum (NCSF) as one of the groups being primed to attack the protesters during the peaceful rallies.

The labour movement urged international human rights bodies and the governments of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to note that the right of the people to peacefully protest was being threatened.

Aside the economic hardship, NLC had also cited the federal government's non-implementation of the agreement reached on palliatives to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on workers and the general public.

The statement said, "We would want to inform Nigerians that the state has perfected plans to attack our peaceful rallies across the country. One of the groups being primed to attack our peaceful rallies is by a nebulous name, Nigeria Civil Society Forum (NCSF).

"NCSF is one of the emergency groups put together, funded, promoted and remote-controlled by government to cause violence against our members for electing to peacefully protest against the hunger in the land.

"We would want the state to know that the solution to our horrible economic situation and hunger is not by suppressing peaceful dissent or inflicting violence on peacefully protesting citizens, as the government did in Minna and other cities where its agents tear-gassed and beat up women before locking them up for raising their voice against hunger.

“It does not lie in the deployment of state-sponsored terror. The pangs of hunger cannot be cowed by bullets or tear gas.”

NLC added, "In light of this, we at the NLC and civil society allies are moving ahead with our protest rallies against economic hardship and insecurity in line with the decision of the National Executive Council (NEC).

"As citizens, we have a fundamental right to peaceful protest and history bears us witness that our protests are always peaceful, except in instances of state-engineered violence.”

NLC further advised the Nigerian state to put on its thinking cap and find solutions to the pains it had continued to cause the people instead of further dehumanising them. It stated that if the state was irrevocably set on the path of violence against labour and other peace-loving Nigerians, it would be making a costly mistake.

NLC explained that if the protesting workers were attacked, there would be a total shutdown via withdrawal of services by workers.

It stated, “Let no one be deceived, we and other deprived Nigerians cannot easily be intimidated. Lest those in power now who may have forgotten be reminded, we faced a more resourceful and resilient adversary in order to have democracy.

“All we are saying now is that let there be food for the people, let the people live in safety, let the people live a life of dignity devoid of suffocating IMF/World Bank economic policies.”

NLC reiterated its call on international human rights bodies and the governments of the AU and the UN that the right of the people to peacefully protest and demand for freedom from economic slavery and hardship was being threatened by the Nigerian state.

The union stated, "We, however, remain resolute, determined and prepared to express our pain and grief in a peaceful manner as Nigerians come 27th and 28th of February 2024."

Meanwhile, the Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, appealed to the Yoruba and Nigerians to shun the protest, in a statement in Abuja yesterday.

While acknowledging the hardship faced by the people, Fasoranti said the economic measures being implemented by the government, though difficult, were part of a larger strategy to foster long-term economic stability.

Fasoranti stated, "As the national leader of Afenifere, and leader of the Yoruba, I address all and sundry today with a deep understanding of the challenges facing our dear country at this critical time.

"The outcry over the hardship, hunger, and price hikes is not unexpected, yet we must come to terms with the realities of our national challenges which the present administration of President Bola Tinubu is striving to resolve.

"While acknowledging the hardships faced by our people, it is important to recognise that these economic measures, although difficult, are part of a larger strategy aimed at fostering long-term economic stability.”

He added that the government's commitment to implementing the measures was a testament to its dedication to addressing the root causes of Nigeria’s economic challenges, inherited from the ills of the previous years.

The Afenifere leader stated, "As a responsible leader, I appeal to every Yoruba man and woman, young and old, and our fellow citizens across the nationalities, to exercise patience and refrain from engaging in protests or actions that may escalate tensions.

"Understandably, the immediate impact of these economic reforms is challenging to everyone, but it is crucial to allow the government the necessary time to realise the intended benefits.

"It is important to note that the removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira was not undertaken lightly, as we all know the great damage done to our national prosperity through the nefarious activities of the agents of darkness within the oil and financial sectors.”