Workers shut down Lagos for ASUU protest
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) came out in their large numbers this morning to make good their threat of two days nationwide protest against the lingering strike in the educational system.
The workers who started converging at the under bridge of Ikeja from 6a.m in the morning trekked through the Obafemi Awolowo way to Alausa Secretariat to meet Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
As they advanced chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards, traffics were practically on standstill in the area until the protest end around 1p.m in the afternoon.
The presence of the Nigeria Police also were very feasible with their men from the Commissioner’s office, but not disrupting the protest while the protesters were not ruffled by their presence.
Addressing the workers in Lagos
during the solidarity protest with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions in tertiary institutions on the ongoing strike, the NLC State chairman, Funmi Sessi and the Human rights lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana,
unanimously lent their voices to the need for the Federal Government to meet the demands of the universities workers within two weeks and insisted that if nothing is done there would be the mother of all strike.
Sessi noted that the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari has turned the youth into criminals.
According to her, this is just a warning protest. if the government failed to conclude all the negotiations and agreements within two weeks, then END SARS would be child’s play.
“Governments will witness the annoyance and frustration of Nigerians because they have put people into depression and a condition where they committed suicide.
“We can no longer endure this hardship again. When Buhari took over 7 years ago, naira to the dollar was equivalent to N168.00, but today dollar is N680.00. When they took over a bag of rice was N7,000 but today is N38,000.00.
“APC likewise told us that they want to rewrite the history of Nigeria, but it’s getting worse day by day. Our children unborn will hear the history when Buhari is the president of this country”, Sessi said.
Also speaking, the Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana lamented that the living standard of Nigerians is getting worse by the day.
He said, “They have also used this regime to cause hardship for the people. As we gathered here today, terrorism, hardship, and recession have taken over the country and President Buhari is junketing all over the world. He has told Nigerians that he’s tired and we are saying in one voice that BUHARI MUST GO.
“We are fully in support of lecturers in tertiary institutions and other workers. As NLC has said if government fails to meet the demand of the striking lecturers, ENDSARS would be a child’s play compared to what will happen in the next two weeks because Nigerians are tired and frustrated”, Falana added.
He continued, “Don’t let them deceive you that there is no money they initially budgeted for over four hundred billion and later went to the National Assembly to increase it to N6.5 trillion yet they don’t have money to pay the lectures, but they have money to pay smugglers”.
Falana said Nigerians with the support of labour should ensure that dollar should no longer control the nation’s economy, adding that henceforth nobody should pay in dollar as naira is the country’s currency and legal tender.
He noted that labour with the protest has proved that it could provide leadership and hence must ready to snatch power from the selfish political class.
The workers at Alausa met the gate locked with the Police fully armed to the teeth. But the workers demanded that the gate should be opened and after much threat the police opened the gate.
The workers later presented the letter to the Commissioner of Establishment and Pension, who explained that the governor was on assignment outside the state.
She commented the workers for their peaceful conduct promising to deliver the letter to the governor when he returns from his outside engagement.
