December 17 Protest Is Sacrosanct – NLC President

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has said that the congress’ planned nationwide protest on 17 December remains sacrosanct.

He made the statement shortly after a courtesy visit on the Chairman of the nineteen Northern States Governors’ Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, in Gombe the capital city of the state.

“I am not sure you have gotten any contrary view that it is not holding. So, unless you have gotten a contrary view then we can take it from there. The protest is to help this country – to call to attention the effect of insecurity,” he stated.

Ajaero decried the negative effects of insecurity on Nigeria’s economy particularly how it is turning away investors saying that insecurity, “is affecting even investors coming into this country”.

According to the NLC President, the protest is aimed at awakening government to its responsibilities of tackling crushing economic hardships, insecurity, banditry and other abnormalities in the country.

Citing examples of how insecurity is affecting workers and everyone else, Ajaero said “Many workers are being kidnapped on daily basis. People are killed. The case in Kebbi, the person killed was a teacher. The children that are kidnapped are children of workers. So, we need to ask government to help them to fish out the perpetrators of this.”

According to Ajaero, the protest is to strengthen the hand of government to be able to solve the myriad of issues bedeviling the country, “And by our protest they should know that their hands are being strengthened for them to do the needful.”

While calling on all Nigerians to be part and parcel of ending the negative developments in Nigeria, Ajaero called for total overhauling of our value system, describing banditry and kidnap for ransom as acts that are alien to our value system as a people.