By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA — ORGANISED Labour at yesterday’s May Day celebration, told President Muhammadu Buhari that workers and ordinary Nigerians were beginning to lose faith in the change mantra of the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Federal Government.

The President, however, assured workers and Nigerians generally that his government was determined to tackle, headlong, all socio-economic ills troubling the nation. He said the government would evolve solutions to emerging threats to the well being of the people and the realization of sustainable development as well as growth anchored on equity and social justice.
But the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, were unanimous in condemning increasing poverty, unemployment, insecurity, erratic power supply, fuel scarcity, and called on government at all levels to urgently address the mounting hardship and frustration in the country.
Though both the Ayuba Wabba and Joe Ajaero factions of the NLC held their May Day rallies in Abuja and Lagos respectively, they were united on issues affecting workers and other Nigerians, and called for improved economy and well-being of the people.
Addressing the gathering at Eagle Square in Abuja, factional leader of the NLC, Wabba, urged the President to provide people-based actions and programmes and not elitist programmes. He said the government should come up with discernible strategies and directions that would tell Nigerians where his government was headed economically.

Privatisation
He also implored the federal government to stop further attempts at privatisation, especially of railways, return local refineries to full capacity and invest in new refineries and in, the short-run, sort out the supply bottle-neck that had made product availability difficult in Nigeria. He urged the government to discourage all companies destroying collective bargaining platforms in order to encourage decent workplaces and enhanced terms and conditions of service for Nigerian workers.
Wabba appealed to President Buhari to initiate a deliberate policy to build domestic industrial capacity, not just by stimulating private sector investments, but also by investing in medium and large scale industries in critical sectors of the economy.
He equally urged him to set up a special task force to stop all the violence and bloodletting spreading like wild fire all over the country".

Insecurity
On insecurity, he said: “At the beginning of the year, we had cause to assert that on the security front, our armed forces within the year, redeemed their reputation as a resilient fighting force and fought the Boko Haram insurgents, inflicting heavy defeats on them in the North Eastern part of the country.
"We said that our conviction was that though the war was still on-going, Nigerians now believed that it was only a matter of time before these evil forces are defeated.
"As workers, who have been direct victims of the violence in the North East, we want to use this May Day to restate our call for Mr. President to combine the military success with a marshal plan for the reconstruction of the devastated infrastructure of the geo-political zone.
"The ruling APC government in its manifesto, promised to create three million jobs annually. We have waited one year for the government to bring out its blueprints on how it intends to go about achieving this. Congress will seek audience with Mr. President to get more information on this important matter."
It's a shame—Ajaero

Similarly, Ajaero, while addressing workers, after a long procession from NLC office at Yaba through the Funsho Williams Way, at Iponri, before returning to the front of the National Stadium, Lagos, said: “It is a shame that we have continued to import petroleum products. It is also a shame that we have also privatised it so that the products have become inaccessible to majority of the citizens, causing serious distortions to our economic processes.
"Fuel scarcity has persisted far longer than ever, foisting on our people the most horrendous of sufferings ever meted out to them by any ruling elite in our nation’s history.
"This has driven the prices of staples far above the reach of the ordinary people. Bread has gone up by 25%; Garri from N300 per paint bucket to N500; rice from N8,000 to N15,000; Milk and Chocolate beverages by about 50% while toiletries and other home products have all skyrocketed beyond the reach of workers and the masses
“As a nation, we cannot be seriously thinking of economic development, when we allow our domestic manufacturing capacity to continue to decline. We cannot move forward as a nation, when instead of producing more products internally, we allow the existing ones to fold up.
"We cannot make progress when our tastes are heavily foreign. We cannot be talking of economic development when we continue to import petroleum products, allowing our local refineries to lie comatose. Has anybody imagined what would happen to the foreign exchange market and the pressure on the Naira if we stop this national insanity of importing petroleum products and refine our products locally?"

Nigeria bleeding —TUC
In the same vein, the President of TUC, Mr. Bobboi Kaigama, while corroborating Wabba and Ajaero in a speech at the Eagle Square, said the country was bleeding, adding that there was no pretence about that fact.
He said: "He who feels it, knows it. The poor masses of the country feel it in all spheres, and only very close monitoring of the economy, commitment and sincerity of purpose constitute the way out.

"We must start generating significant increase in the income and development of the country. In as much as the present administration appears intent on fashioning out effective ways of checking wastage of our resources, they must decisively check unrepentant saboteurs who have continued to have a field day.
"The truth is that Nigerians are currently in pains, and the pains can only be soothed when the leadership abhors unfriendly policies like those advocated by the BrettonWoods institutions, addresses naira depreciation issues, inflation, corruption, power outages, breach of collective agreements by employers, Boko Haram insurgency and ethno-religious violence, the unwarranted killings in Agatu by Fulani herdsmen, the kidnappings, collapse of socio-economic infrastructure, including our existing refineries, roads, schools, and the drought of petroleum products, etc.

"We certainly do not need any soothsayer to tell us that the current slide in the global prices of oil would have less adverse effects on our economy, if we refine our oil within our borders.”
Govt committed to Nigerians' well-being —Buhari
The President, in his speech read by Labour Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, said his government was not unmindful of what Nigerians were presently going through but assured that the federal government was determined to remedy the situation.
He said: "I make no excuses as this government of the APC is determined to tackle, headlong, all socio– economic ills that have troubled our nation and we shall evolve solutions to emerging threats to our well being and the realization of sustainable development as well as growth anchored on equity and social justice.
‘’Development must be sustainable for it to benefit society in general. It is, therefore, the responsibility of those in the citadels of power to align themselves with the working class who make development possible by generating and sustaining the momentum of positive change.
"That is why the present administration has sought and will continue to seek the hands of Labour so that together we can attain the enviable heights of progress in our beloved country.
"It is for this very reason that I aspired to become President which the Nigerian people have now made a reality. This administration shall effect positive change in the lives of average Nigerians, to ensure that the downtrodden are elevated and most importantly to fight the intense pain of corruption which has enriched the very few to the detriment of the majority of Nigerians who groan under the overwhelming weight of poverty and all the superstructural and infrastructural maladies resulting from corruption.
"In this fight against corruption, I need you all to be very willing partners. Fighting corruption in the public service in particular, requires the workers to play major roles by cooperating with the government.
"I have listened to the speeches made by both the Presidents of the TUC and NLC. By the speeches, you have without any equivocation affirmed your faith in the greatness of Nigeria as a nation.
"The challenges facing Nigeria have been highlighted and I assure you that they shall be accorded due consideration. It is worthy to note that solution to some of those issues and requests are already being considered and would be made public in the near future.
"The times may be tough, but we Nigerians are by nature resilient and strong and it is that nature that propels us to overcome adversities and still thrive as a nation.
"Let us use this National May Day to celebrate the workers and Nigeria as a nation. There will always be challenges in the life of a man and what defines greatness is the way and manner such challenges are tackled and overcome.
"I assure you, great Nigerian workers that this administration is able and willing to constructively handle the challenges. In so doing, I request your cooperation and understanding, as partners in progress."

www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/labour-buhari-nigerians-losing-faith-change-mantra/

They promised "change", But what Nigerians are experiencing is "chains", Maybe we didn't hear Buhari well when he was campaigning because of his accent.

The scales are falling off the eyes of Nigerians, They now know how incompetent, dull and foolish Buhari is. Propaganda can win you elections, but can't govern for you, unless the citizens are zombies - Fortunately, Not all Nigerians are zombified humanoids.

So a whole labour was having hope in the scam called change before now

I hope the labourers will not labour in vain till 2019

Any One without Patience will loose Hope on any Quest and The Price along.

okosodo:
So a whole labour was having hope in the scam called change before now

You dey mind them

Old men that should know what's up.

Nigerians losing hope is a sign of hope for the present government. The reality is Nigerians have no hope in change.
It's a sham get that in your head. See where it was copied from. No element of ingenuousness all through the APC campaign. The mantra, posters, policies and promises, we're all copied from Obama's 2008 campaign.

After someone will come here and say Tinubu is a genius. A genius to the zombies, maybe. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is always King

This has driven the prices of staples far above the reach of the ordinary people. Bread has gone up by 25%; Garri from N300 per paint bucket to N500; rice from N8,000 to N15,000; Milk and Chocolate beverages by about 50% while toiletries and other home products have all skyrocketed beyond the reach of workers and the masses

Poor no fit eat rice,spaghetti again.... To buy garri wey be our food na wahala.....Scale of preference is what guys are using now....Money that could buy Rice and spaghetti before can only buy rice now since salary doesn't change.....Baba you better do something....I still believe in you sha......
Wailers quote me and rot in hell

SeverusSnape:
They promised "change", But what Nigerians are experiencing is "chains", Maybe we didn't hear Buhari well when he was campaigning because of his accent.

The scales are falling off the eyes of Nigerians, They now know how incompetent, dull and foolish Buhari is. Propaganda can win you elections, but can't govern for you, unless the citizens are zombies - Fortunately, Not all Nigerians are zombified humanoids.

hope is good in time like this though we are suffering now but I believe buhari will get us there we just need little patient because buhari came at the wrong time when economic is hard, and we as Nigeria will survive because we always do.

Hahahahaha

No electricity power supply for the past 3 days.



Change!

ritababe:



hope is good in time like this though we are suffering now but I believe buhari will get us there we just need little patient because buhari came at the wrong time when economic is hard and we as Nigeria will survive because we always do.

Having hope in a dullard??... Keep hoping.

SeverusSnape:
Having hope in a dullard??... Keep hoping.

he is a dullard and your president what does that make you?

januzaj:
Poor no fit eat rice,spaghetti again.... To buy garri wey be our food na wahala.....Scale of preference is what guys are using now....Money that could buy Rice and spaghetti before can only buy rice now since salary doesn't change.....Baba you better do something....I still believe in you sha......
Wailers quote me and rot in hell

Bros, Money that could buy rice and spaghetti before can't even buy only rice now.

Golden penny spaghetti was 120, Rice was 250 or 300, add it together and it's 420/370 but a tier of rice is now 450 or 500. You get?

Bread of 250 is now 300

Sachet tomato is now 60. As in eh... Everything add price except Pepsi and mirinda

ritababe:


he is a dullard and your president what does that make you?

Please he's not my president, He's my Presidiot. And yes, He's a dullard.

SeverusSnape:

Please he's not my president, He's my Presidiot. And yes, He's a dullard.

continue denying yourself till 2023

It's not going to be easy, this are the rough days of change, better days lie ahead

ritababe:



continue denying yourself till 2023

Of course, with pleasure, Even Jesus was denied by Peter, wasn't he??... Talk more of a Brukutu sipping dull man.

SeverusSnape:

Please he's not my president, He's my Presidiot. And yes, He's a dullard.

when you go for any interview and they ask you who is Nigeria President... Just say presidiot Buhari..Whether you call him president or not...he is your President till 2019

januzaj:
when you go for any interview and they ask you who is Nigeria President... I hope your reply will be presidiot Buhari

Who is that fool that will ask that kind of useless question in an interview... Am I a primary school pupil??... Bros abeg.

SeverusSnape:


Who is that fool that will ask that kind of useless question in an interview... Am I a primary school pupil??... Bros abeg.

e go do you like film trick say na wetin dem go ask for your next interview be that...if you know say na prezidiot you go talk....you better no go..you go just waste tp and time

Change was promised but Nigerian never care to specify if is Good or .....

G

God pass dem

saibaba sai ivyy

the poster above me thou, wetin God do una

you only lose hope in what you believed in initially

Btw,listen to my songs at http://my.notjustok.com/p/oracle/

Pls tell baba change is not working

Conductor where is my change or chanji

SeverusSnape:
By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Gabriel Ewepu




www.vanguardngr.com/2016/05/labour-buhari-nigerians-losing-faith-change-mantra/

Not losing but have already lost-

In difficult times a good leader should offer hope to his people but our PMB is never doing that

NLC is IPOB sub-group--Zombies.