VON DG To NLC: Your Protest Might Be Counterproductive

As the organized Labour embarks on protest tomorrow against economic policies of the present administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) and a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu has warned that the action of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) might be counterproductive.

Okechukwu gave the warning in a statement he issued in Abuja on Tuesday, just as he commendable the President on his speech to rescue the economy from the hands of the few.

According to him, the only missing link in the President speech given Monday night was his silence on the moribund four refineries and the Green Imperative Project (GIP) aimed at Agricultural Mechanisation Program by former President Buhari’s administration.

In the statement, he said, “There is a national consensus after we lost the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) battle of 1986, by all and sundry and all the presidential candidates on the imperative to remove fuel subsidy and reinforce uniform foreign exchange rate.

“To me the strike may not achieve the desired result of addressing gross inequality in the land, since there is no better alternative to the short-term palliatives on the table, urgently fixing the country’s four refineries and as well as implementation of Buhari regime’s Green Imperative Project, aimed at mechanisation of agriculture nationwide.

“Therefore, since we have regrettably succumbed to the nebulous SAP economic policy the only viable option left is to collectively and pragmatically join Mr President to recover lost grounds and for him to commit class suicide.”

Commending the President speech qgainst criticisms he said he was thrilled listening to Mr President’s national broadcast, especially his disclosure that, “The subsidy cost us trillions of Naira yearly. Such a vast sum of money would have been better spent on public transportation, healthcare, schools, housing and even national security. Instead, it was being funnelled into the deep pockets and lavish bank accounts of a select group of individuals.

“This group had amassed so much wealth and power that they became a serious threat to the fairness of our economy and the integrity of our democratic governance. To be blunt, Nigeria could never become the society it was intended to be as long as such small, powerful yet unelected groups hold enormous influence over our political economy and the institutions that govern it”.

Okechukwu said it was at this point that he came to inevitable conclusion that Labour needs to calm down so as not to set our fragile democracy ablaze, stressing that “President Tinubu, being one of this 1% deep pockets; going by paradox of history, stands in a good stead to bail us out of the stranglehold of these unelected individuals wielding enormous influence and posing serious threat to the integrity of our democracy.

“Methinks all Tinubu needs to unbundle our economy from the hands of rent-takers, which our Constitution frowns at, is one, our support and second, genuine advice and thirdly, to mark him bumper to bumper with constructive criticisms on how best to preside over our commonwealth.”

On the observation that there were some missing gaps in Tinubu’s address, Okechukwu remarked, “To me it is an excellent address in plain and clear language devoid of economic jargons; however the missing gaps are, one, there’s no mention of how to urgently fix our four refineries, as one does not trust that Dangote Refinery is enough.

“Two, no mention was made of the Green Imperative Project (GIP) aimed at Agricultural Mechanisation Program by former President Buhari’s administration.”

According to Okechukwu, history has over the years recorded nations where change emanated from unexpected quarters, therefore we should give Mr President the much needed support to implement Section 16(2)(c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which cautioned that, “the economic system is not operated in such a manner as to permit the concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of few individuals or of group.”

Finally, Okechukwu submitted, “without being immodest, with my experience in mass action, the danger of Labour strike is that it may not achieve the desired objective and God forbid, may unfortunately drive us from fire to total economic frying pan.”

New Telegraph.