The protesters marched from the Unity Fountain to the NASS Complex to demand the reversal of the pump price of petrol, amongst other demands.

By Kayode Oyero
Updated August 2, 2023




The protest by the Organised Labour against the “anti-people” policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration is getting intense as protesters, on Wednesday, morning broke down the first gate of the National Assembly (NASS) complex and forced their way into the premises.

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The protesters subsequently moved to the second gate of the Assembly Complex even as Senators immediately entered a closed-door session.

The Organised Labour including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their affiliate unions, today, kicked off a protest in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and other states of the Federation including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo.

The protesters in their hundreds convened at the Unity Fountain from where they marched to the NASS Complex.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio is expected to address the protesters ahead of today’s screening of ministerial nominees.



Earlier, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, told Channels Television at the Unity Fountain that there is “nothing stopping the protest, not even an overture from the government”.

He said that the Organised Labour won’t shelve the protest until there is a desired response from the government.

Ajaero said the response from the states will determine “whether the protest will be from today, or tomorrow or next or till thy kingdom come, it is not by using force”.

“We are here for the protest and to make a statement that since we started negotiation, that there is nothing we have in our hands,” he said.


Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday, warned against “violent mass protests” across the country.

Tinubu had removed subsidy on petrol during his epic inauguration speech on May 29, 2023, with a litre of the petrol jumping from N184 to over N620 and food prices and general inflation galloping at an unprecedented rate.

Last week, the NLC issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and demanded “the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the federal government including the recent hike in PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers”.

The union also demanded an upward review of the minimum wage from N30,000 to N200,000, saying that since the President’s “subsidy is gone” inauguration speech of May 29, 2023, the peace of mind of Nigerians has gone.


Several meetings between the Presidency and the unions on palliatives for Nigerians suffering hardship in the wake of the petrol subsidy removal proved abortive.

Also, the intervention of the Senate and the House of Representatives achieved no success as the unions insisted that the government’s palliatives’ package was out of touch with the economic realities that Nigerians face.

In a last-minute move to placate the aggrieved unions, Tinubu, in a broadcast to Nigerians on Monday night, promised to review workers’ salaries and minimum wage.

He also announced a N75 billion palliative for the manufacturing sector, saying 75 businesses would benefit within a nine-month period spanning the third quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of next year. Tinubu went on to declare a N125 billion fund to energise “this very important sector”.

According to him, provision has been made “to invest N100 billion between now and March 2024 to acquire 3000 units of 20-seater CNG-fuelled buses”.

However, the NLC immediately faulted the palliative measures announced by the President to cushion the biting effect of petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians, saying the programmes to be rolled out by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government are totally out of touch with economic realities and hardship currently being faced by poor citizens.

The union said “the promises and assurances made by President Tinubu is not the silver bullet that Nigerians expected”.

The NLC said the President was expected to tell Nigerians his plans to resuscitate public refineries which have been lying comatose for so many years but he was completely silent on the issue.

More to follow…


https://www.channelstv.com/2023/08/02/breaking-protesters-break-down-nass-gate-force-way-into-premises/

It is getting there

God thank you. I never believed I would witness the revolution...

A$shole rock nkor?

haa

Thank God it's happening during Tinubu Tenure

Another endNASS protest

Oops

Pics before I make comment.

Ok

They are IPOB 🤓

I thought idiots said Northern NLC pulled out of the protest, that only Igbos will protest in Southeast?

Abi Abuja is now a Local Government in Abia?

these are not real protesters

these are not real protesters

Just gamenplayers

Allow them in...don't touch them...let's see what they will really do within their rights to peaceful protest.

If anybody touch anything or anyone...

Good morning Nigerians, until when we keep tribalism aside we will make Nigeria work again but some useless element will still come and rant nonsense here.
Some people are cursed and they are like crab in a bucket, when some want to escape, some will be busy drawing others back.

43Ronin:
God thank you. I never believed I would witness the revolution...

so it’s no longer protest but revolution

Seunmsg
Helinues
Igbo

They have started changing it again like they did during endsars ooo

They deceived d gullible that it’s a protest n along the line this one is talking about revolution

Marineson:
Good morning Nigerians, until when we keep tribalism aside we will make Nigeria work again but some useless element will still come and rant nonsense here.
Some people are cursed and they are like crab in a bucket, when some want to escape, some will be busy drawing others back.

keep quiet u igbos n your evil agenda

U can see on twitter that igbos are already calling it revolution n they are creating the hashtag endtinubu

That was how u igbos changed endsars to endnigeria

The ulterior motive u people always have is d reason no one wants to join u in protest cos u always call it protest from d beginning n when it starts u change it to your original plan

This is just the beginning. More to come

Godwin4444:
keep quiet u igbos n your evil agenda

U can see on twitter that igbos are already calling it revolution n they are creating the hashtag endtinubu

That was how u igbos changed endsars to endnigeria

The ulterior motive u people always have is d reason no one wants to join u in protest cos u always call it protest from d beginning n when it starts u change it to your original plan

Cry more agbado boy

Rioters, not protesters. Once you start destroying things you become a rioter.

Hmm I feel so bad about this conspiracy, I still feel it's not right and rather too early

NLC president joe ajaero so this is peaceful protest?

43Ronin:
God thank you. I never believed I would witness the revolution...

Go and sleep. There can never be a revolution in Nigeria.

If it ever happens, you and your family will be its first victim.

I intended to say something prior.....but then its just Nigeria government been Nigerian Government..... A couple of handshakes we would forget this happened for real

Have they entered the chambers yet?

The people wanna see some vawulence action on live broadcast

yarimo:
NLC president joe ajaero so this is peaceful protest?

Yarimo banza🤓 you again
So if you refuse the peaceful protesters right of entry at the NASS's gate what do you expect them to do, stand back and clap for you maybe

SmartPolician:


Go and sleep. There can never be a revolution in Nigeria.

If it ever happens, you and your family will be its first victim.

we can never be the first victims because we did not steal govt money or Rigg elections. However my prayer is that everyone who stole our common wealth and supporting the politicians will die a very painful death. say amen.