The Nigerian Labour Congressman, or NLC, took to the streets on Tuesday to express his disapproval of the nation’s economic difficulties in defiance of pleas from the federal government.
To show support for President Bola Tinubu’s policies, the Network of Civil Society For Economic Sustainability, however, also delivered on its promise by organizing a counter-protest.
The pro-government demonstrators started their march from Unity Fountain and also made their way to the National Assembly, while the NLC, led by its President, Joe Ajaero, began theirs from the Labour House and marched through the Ministry of Finance to the federal secretariat.
The NLC had voiced concerns prior to the demonstration that they were going to be terrorized by someone employed by the federal government.
However, the group’s convener, Kabiru Matazu, addressed media on Tuesday in Abuja and clarified that, despite rumors to the contrary, they had no intention of attacking anyone.
“As you can see, we are peaceful protestors,” he said. We have absolutely no justification for attacking anyone. We merely beg them to take advantage of the conversational segment; coming out in public is not the ideal course of action. We are folks who value peace. We have absolutely no justification whatsoever for confronting anyone. You journalists will be able to verify this for yourself.
Although the group recognizes the NLC’s lawful and unrestricted right to exercise and express itself, Matazu continued, it disagrees with their approach.
He stated that although the NLC was protesting for legitimate reasons—such as the imposition of a new minimum wage, growing hardship, insecurity, rising poverty, hyperinflation, and skyrocketing prices of necessities—protests are not and will never be a workable solution.
Matazu stated that Tinubu’s administration has proven to be devoted to giving these issues the serious attention they require.
Instead of suspending economic operations, aggravating the problems, and making life even more difficult for the average person, he asked the NLC to have a constructive conversation with the government.
It emphasized that although they support the NLC in supporting workers’ rightful demands, they fiercely reject any attempt to sabotage economic activity by staging pointless rallies, claiming that miscreants might easily take advantage of such acts and cause chaos and devastation.
“So we are pleading with the NLC to give the government the chance for these policies to succeed,” the convener said. They shouldn’t give in to pressure from opposition groups that never have good intentions toward this administration. That is the reason we are here to show our support for President Tinubu’s policies and initiatives as soon as you bola Ahmed Tinubu. We wholeheartedly support him.