The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to engage with the leaders of the planned nationwide protest concerning the increasing hardship in the country.
In a statement released on Monday by NLC President Joe Ajaero, the congress emphasized the need for the President to address the grievances and challenges facing citizens, particularly in light of the rising inflation, which has reached 34.19 percent, alongside hikes in food and electricity prices.
“As the date for the widely reported national protest looms, the Nigeria Labour Congress urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite the leadership of the protest movement for discussions on their grievances,” Ajaero stated.
He stressed the importance of the government providing a listening ear and empathetic response to the citizens’ struggles, describing the daily hardships faced by Nigerians as brutal and dismissive of their experiences.
Ajaero further noted that the right to protest is fundamental, even if politically motivated, highlighting that the current unrest does not require political motivation to spark.
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“All that the hurting citizens demand from their government is a listening ear and an empathetic heart. Maybe, that is what the organisers of the protest are looking for given their continued notices on different social media platforms,” Ajaero added.
The NLC also criticized the government’s hostile stance towards the planned protest, arguing that such an approach fails to provide tangible remedies to the population’s suffering or to the frustration caused by economic disparities.
Ajaero urged the government to prioritize dialogue over confrontation, stating, “The times require the government to ‘jaw-jaw’ and not ‘war-war’ with Nigerians. The truth is that you cannot smack a child and at the same time ask the child not to cry.”
The NLC’s call for dialogue reflects the pressing need for the government to engage constructively with citizens and address the growing economic challenges to alleviate the widespread hardship.
