The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, yesterdays staged a nationwide protest over worsening insecurity in the country, insisting the federal government must urgently deploy “the full machinery of governance” to reclaim communities, protect workers and restore public confidence.
They also asked the government to ensure that all those behind the funding of insecurity are arrested and prosecuted.
In Abuja, the protest, following heavy security deployment, terminated abruptly as the protesters,who came out in their numbers, were not allowed to go beyond the Ministry of Finance, which is just a few metres away from the Labour House.
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The protest commenced between 11:15 a.m. and 11:39 a.m., but NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and other top labour leaders were not seen during the procession, as they were locked in a closed-door meeting that had lasted several hours.
Earlier, the leader of the Revolution Now Movement, Omoyele Sowore, was sighted at the Labour House in solidarity with the NLC before the commencement of the procession.
Workers, affiliate unions, civil society allies and journalists started arriving at the venue before 7:30 a.m., but the demonstration did not commence until past 11 a.m., with protesters waiting for directives from the union leadership.
Shortly after their arrival, the NLC president and leaders of affiliate unions withdrew into a closed-door meeting, while hundreds of workers gathered in clusters within and around the secretariat premises.
But before then, Ajaero had debunked the insinuation that after the meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday night—which lasted until the early hours of Wednesday—the protest had been called off.
