Despite the Supreme Court interim injunction restraining the Federal Government from suspending the acceptance of the old naira notes on February 10 deadline, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has given Federal Government seven days ultimatum to make currency available to Nigerians, failure which it would call out its members for a nationwide industrial action. So also is congress stand on the fuel scarcity.
Speaking at its 13th Delegates Conference in Abuja , the newly elected NLC President, Comrade Joseph Ajaero said the congress is already mobilising it’s members across the country for a mass action.
Ajaero insisted that the court ruling on the suspension of the naira swap does not guarantee that it will be available.
Ajaero said: “The usurpation and use of state power to impoverish the citizenry abuses the ideals of democracy and destroys the nation. Governance ought to provide comfort for the citizenry so, it pains us to witness the increasing frustrations Nigerians have had to go through in the last few months just to fuel their cars and generators, the new phenomenon of black market Naira-buying our own monies at a discount from illegal brokers.
Governance in Nigeria seems to have broken all known records for bad governance. We will definitely not keep quiet in the face of this deliberate defilement of citizenship by the ruling elite as we may mobilise variously across the nation to nudge the government to act more responsibly towards the citizenry and seek ways of alleviating the suffering that currently walks our streets with arrogance”.
On the forthcoming election,Ajaero said it is crucial that the politicians learn from history to avoid its pitfalls.
He said they must play according to the rules avoiding actions that may truncate our democratic process and imperil our nation.
“The electoral umpire must ensure a transparent and equitable conduct of the elections at all levels while we urge all Nigerians to seize the opportunity which this presents to vote the right people into positions of power. Those that are destroying our nation and stealing our collective patrimony must not be allowed any longer in our corridors of power.
As Nigerians, we must not allow them divide us along religious and regional lines. Our demands on the Nigerian State are basically the same.
The Supreme Court issued an interim injunction restraining the Federal Government from suspending the acceptance of the old Naira notes.
THE NATION