The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, under the aegis of the Lagos People’s Assembly (LPA), joined forces with others on Sunday, urging the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to postpone its scheduled two-day protest marches for the sake of national peace and security.
The coalition noted that the Federal, state, and local governments nationwide were implementing measures to alleviate the people’s economic challenges.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had initially planned to hold protests across the country on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
The LPA, comprising over 80 civil society and community-based organizations and small business owners whose businesses were still recovering from the #EndSARS protest and COVID-19, emphasized good governance, peace, and development for Lagos State and Nigeria.
This call was made during a press conference addressed by Comrade Nelson Ekujumi of the Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM).
While acknowledging the right of labor unions to protest or strike, Ekujumi, in his address titled “Constructive Engagements are the Way out of Our Economic Challenges,” stated that a protest march at this time would harm the economic well-being of Lagosians, Nigerians, and contradict the principles of labor.
He pointed out that Lagos State, being a target for anti-democratic elements, vividly remembered the trauma of the 2020 #EndSARS protests, with lingering effects on citizens.
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Ekujumi argued that the solution to the country’s economic challenges lies in constructive engagements between the government and the citizenry, not in protest marches or strikes.
He highlighted the efforts of the Federal Government and the Lagos State government in addressing economic realities, urging the NLC to reconsider its protest.
Ekujumi also mentioned that as a response to the global hardship, the Lagos State government had formed a committee, consisting of eminent Nigerians, to distribute palliatives.
The LPA pledged to monitor the social intervention programs announced by the Lagos State government, providing independent reports to ensure judicious execution.
In attendance at the press conference were Gbenga Soloki of Campaign Against Impunity and Domestic Violence, Peter Oparah (Patriotism Awareness Forum), Ajayi Popoola (CEDESER), Jubril Ogundimu (Oodua Republic Front), among others.
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