As the country celebrates another Democracy
Day, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said
that the federal government has not done
enough to alleviate the poverty and suffering of
Nigerians.

This was contained in a communique issued at
the end of the NLC’s National Executive Council
meeting yesterday in Abuja and signed by its
national president, Abdulwaheed Omar.
Omar said, “Although, the economy is said to
have recorded a growth rate of about 7 per cent,
it has created few or no jobs, leading to an all-
time high unemployment records. Whereas
official figures put unemployment rate at 24 per
cent, there are indicators to believe that the
actual estimate could be as high as 60 per cent
or higher. Nearly all of our employable youths
remain unemployed, constituting a veritable
army of the hungry, disillusioned and angry with
great potential for undermining the peace and
security of the nation.”

“Critical infrastructure continue to decay just as
power generation continues to dip.
Government’s promises in the power sector,
especially in power generation and distribution
have been observed in the breach. Non-
budgetary provision for power supply has
worsened the power situation, in spite of
unjustifiable high tariffs.”

The NLC president also decried the rising
communal and sectarian violence across the
country, saying that the development
contributes in no small way to undermining the
national productive industrial and agricultural
capacity.
According to him, last year’s floods and potential
for more floods this year have probable effect of
undermining food security.

According to Omar, government still has a great
role to play in reversing this trend. It cannot
afford the luxury of leaving the economy to
market forces, as no reasonable government
does that, he said. There must be an affirmative
declaration by government to create jobs, he
added.

The communiqué reads in part: “Similarly,
government is invited to intervene in critical
industries (by way of intervention funds and
policy) to sustain and create jobs.

“Government should ensure there is adequate
power supply to meet national needs through
the design and execution of a seamless transition
in its power reform programme.”

Speaking on the insecurity in the country, he
said: “Rising security challenges continues to
threaten the sovereignty, unity and productive
capacity of the country. Congress is concerned
not only by the extent of the waste of human
lives but by the audacity and viciousness of the
perpetrators.

“Whereas, poverty, disease, illiteracy and
indoctrination cannot be divorced from these
serial acts of violence, the immediate trigger are
the injustices inherent in our electoral process,
distribution of wealth, corruption,
unemployment, impunity and bad governance.”
The labour union however re-affirmed its belief in
the in-alienability, inviolability and sovereignty of
Nigeria.

The NLC president also said in spite of the law on
the new minimum wage, the signed agreements
with state governments and the passage of time,
some state governments have not fully
implemented the minimum wage law.
He added that, in most states, teachers and local
government workers are the victims.

“Congress
considers this not only an affront to the law but
an assault on workers and accordingly condemns
this selective implementation of the law.
Congress will mobilise workers in the affected
states to compel governments to pay.
Meanwhile, it gives its unalloyed support to the
proposed action on the matter by members of
the National Union of Teachers,” he said
On the controversies trailing the election in the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the NLC president said
it is regrettable that the governors under the
NGF cannot organise themselves in a simple
democratic process.

He said: “Congress therefore refuses to believe
that governors who are themselves beneficiaries
of supposedly credible elections cannot organise
a simple election among themselves, a class of
36. This presupposes that something
fundamentally must have gone wrong
somewhere. Whatever it is, the governors and
their fellow travellers in power should quickly fix
it. As critical custodians of the people’s mandate
and grand beneficiaries of our democracy, there
are certain things governors must not be seen to
be doing.

“We at the Congress irrevocably stand for certain
values which we will not compromise for
anything. We are opposed to impunity at all
levels and the undermining of national security
and unity. We have respect for process and its
outcome. We stand for justice.
“In the light of the foregoing, we call on our
governors to: create value around as well as
restore dignity to their office; get back to work
instead of unnecessarily overheating the polity;
not put in jeopardy our hard-earned democracy;
respect the process and outcome of their
election.”

someone will soon say he is APC.

very poor.....

jst passing by......reserved 2nd space

What have you people done on your own to help your little place or communities? Leave the president alone you are all distractors.

Nigeria blazes the trail in long grammar and fine phraseology. Was dat wat my friend from the North call "dogo turenchi"? Seeking relevance without being realistic. Omar at it again, after selling out on all of us January last year. Omar, u complain of massive unemployment, and stil want states to b paying 100k as MINIMUM wage. Do u follow their IGR and monthly allocation at all? Omar go and continue searching for ur toothbrush!!!

Hmmn.. It is obvious that GEJ need to buckle up.. Masses dey vex oh. ;

oraxgeorge: What have you people done on your own to help your little place or communities? Leave the president alone you are all distractors.

saying the truth is distraction, I just get fed up with some human being

Foolìsh strike-loving idiots. I don't blame them at all. What do they even know apart from embarking on senseless strikes? Idìots!