Dare Babalola
Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have begun gathering at the NLC Secretariat in Abuja for a nationwide protest against the rising insecurity across the country.
Some of those already at the Secretariat include the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, and civil society allies.
Notable among them are Omoyele Sowore and his colleagues in the Revolution Now Movement.
There is also a deployment of security personnel on the ground, comprising the police, civil defence, and officials of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Ajaero said the NLC will continue with today’s scheduled protest despite Tuesday’s meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu met the leadership of the labour union late on Tuesday with the hope of shelving the nationwide protest.
Addressing reporters at the Labour house on Wednesday, Ajaero said the protest would hold as planned.
Recall that the NLC leader had earlier vowed to lead a protest draw the attention of the Nigerian government to worsening insecurity situation in the country and compel urgent action from stakeholders.
Ajaero who stated this while speaking with journalists in Gombe on Saturday after meeting Governor Inuwa Yahaya, said the escalating insecurity, killings and abductions in the country was worrisome and called for urgent action.
Ajaero said the nationwide protest would demand a decisive action from the federal government against insecurity, stressing as the situation now affects every Nigerian, regardless of status or occupation.
“Banditry and violent crimes were alien to Nigeria’s culture and must be collectively condemned to reverse …a dangerous national narrative,” Ajaero said.
He added that due to insecurity, the country’s economy was damaged and Nigeria’s ability to attract local and foreign investors had been drastically affected and weakened.
“Our planned protest is to call attention to the impact of insecurity on investors and workers, who are kidnapped daily and sometimes killed,” Ajaero said.
