May Day: Halt last-minute looting, Labour tells Buhari

Organised Labour, yesterday, raised the alarm over what it described as last-minute looting of the treasury by out-going governors, ministers and other political office holders and called on President Muhammad Buhari to do everything possible to stop them.

Leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and their Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, counterparts, raised the alarm in a joint address delivered at the National Workers’ Day celebration held at Eagle Square, Abuja

The two labour centres also sounded a note of warning to the incoming government that they would resist any hike in the pump price of petrol in the name of subsidy removal or any other guise.

They spoke as President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, vowed to give more than a minimum wage to Nigerian workers, promising instead to give them a “living wage.”

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Tinubu to continue to respect workers’ rights, as the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, called on incoming administrations at all levels to initiate, reinvigorate and focus on policies that promote inclusiveness, protect small and medium-sized enterprises, grow the middle class and prioritise infrastructural development.

Also, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, urged the government and employers to prioritize the welfare of workers in the country, with the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, urging workers to reinforce their resistance against anti-democratic forces seeking to take control of Nigeria.

Last-minute treasury looting

In the May Day speech, titled: “Workers Rights and Socio-economic Justice” jointly read by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and President of TUC, Festus Osifo, Organised Labour called for the investigation of the N12 billion spent by the Aviation Ministry to buy 10 fire trucks.

NLC and TUC equally urged the Federal Government not to heed the International Monetary Fund, IMF’s advice on tax increase and all its economic advice “as they are poisonous to our nation’s economic health.”