The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring
Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, has commended
President Goodluck Jonathan for declaring a state of
emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States
following the worsening state of insecurity in the north,
saying that although the action was belated, it had re-
assured Nigerians that the President was still on duty.
The NUTGTWN’s commendation was contained in a
statement signed by the General Secretary of the union
and Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC,
Comrade Issa Aremu, Wednesday. The statement read,
”It is reassuring that the President is on duty and shares
the general feelings of Nigerians on the intolerable state
of insecurity in some parts of the country.
”Indeed the presidential move only legitimizes the
obvious; precisely because some of these states are
already in emergency given the scourge of serial
violence and indiscriminate wastage of human lives
there. ‘We are even inspired and reassured that the
President reaffirms his abiding faith in the unity of
Nigeria when he stressed that “we have a duty to stand
firm against those who threaten the sovereign integrity
of the Nigerian state. Our will is strong, because our
faith lies in the indivisibility of Nigeria”.
This reassurance rightly shuts out some emergency
opportunistic warlords who verbally balk-anised the
republic with their divisive violent rhetoric’s.
”Nigeria with just 165 million people cannot be part of
the 20 leading economies with itemized unproductive
sub-regions when the 1.5 billion people China boasts of
functioning economic provinces and even seeks greater
spheres of influence in Africa. Only a united strong and
bigger Nigeria with strong, fair and just democratic
leaders can deliver prosperity while a divided and
disunited Nigeria under the spell of criminal warlords
can only further under develop Africa.
”We also commend the President for giving this
emergency measure a democratic face by retaining the
democratic structures in the affected states. This is a
welcome development and a complete departure from
the state of emergency declared in Plateau State in
2004 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that
sacked elected public office holders in the state. To this
extent President Jonathan’s approach to security is
problem solving and not problem compounding as we
witnessed in the past.
”However, President Jonathan has to work his talk. The
states under state of emergency must return back to
the comity of peaceful Nigeria. It not over until hitherto
peaceful states return to peace and development. The
President must also make good his promise to ensure
that the troops and other security agencies involved in
these operations do so within the ambit of their rules of
engagement without violating the fundamental rights of
peace desiring Nigerians. Official emergency measures
mean that security forces must be accountable for their
legitimate actions.
”Federal and state governments should complement the
emergency measures with emergency economic,
sociopolitical measures aimed at uplifting the masses of
Nigeria from below poverty/sub-human level that fuels
violence to the level that nurtures sustainable peace
and development. To this effect physical security must
go hand in hand with job, food, health and well being
security.
”The President should seek bi-partisan sustainable
measures to security that will involve all critical
stakeholders including the organized labour. Nigeria
needs politics of cooperation, inclusion as well as
development; perhaps more than ever before.”


www.vanguardngr.com/2013/05/388735/