The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to solve daunting socio-economic and security challenges plaguing Nigeria rather than making promises.
The NLC in a Christmas message titled “hope beyond despair” and signed by its president, Ayuba Wabba, on Thursday, identified insecurity as a major headache for Nigerians.
“Insecurity is one major headache for Nigerians in 2021. The spate of unrests, banditry, terrorism, and kidnap-for-ransom across the length and breadth of Nigeria is a source of sleepless nights for many Nigerians. There are genuine concerns of a looming hunger epidemic in 2022 as many farmers are unable to plant and those who planted are required to pay ‘harvest’ security fees to non-state actors who have now carved out autonomous power bases in different parts of Nigeria.
“Christmas is about solutions. We call on the government to find solutions to the myriads of challenges facing the country. Enough of talk! Nigerian workers and people want real solutions to the shame of near 100 percent fuel importation and attendant perennial price hike for the largest oil producer in Africa,” said the NLC.
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According to the NLC, Nigerians, especially the workers, have been forced to endure a year (2021) inundated with socio-economic downturns marked by hyperinflation, widespread hardship, governance reversals, and COVID-19 particularly with the advent and high infection of the Omicron variant.
“2021 would be remembered as the year that Nigerians were confronted with both speculation and the reality of increases in the prices of essential and basic utilities, commodities, and services, including staple food items, cooking gas, cement, and other building materials,” it added.
While congratulating Nigerians on this year’s Christmas, and the government for ensuring a stable supply of petrol and a few other refined petroleum products, it noted, however, that the proposed petrol price increase does not resonate with the spirit of Christmas.
“Just as the government was able to fix the perennial scarcity of refined petroleum products especially petrol during festive seasons such as Christmas, we are also hopeful that Nigeria’s political leadership would be able to find a lasting panacea to the cycle of increases in the prices of refined petroleum products. With a stable price of refined petroleum products, the prices of other commodities will be stable.”
