NDDC, EFCC: Prepare for nationwide protest over Buhari’s inaction, Labour tells Nigerians

Angered by the inaction of President Muhammadu Buhari and the anti-corruption agencies over the high-level of corruption uncovered at the Niger Delta Development Agency (NDDC), the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), labour has resolved to embark on a nationwide protest by next week.

Speaking during a media chat with journalists in Abuja over the weekend, the President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Quadri Olaleye, has, therefore, called on all workers and Nigerians to prepare for a nationwide protest over unresolved issues of corruption in the country.

Already, the TUC President, who hinted that the nationwide protest will take place in the second week of August, disclosed that labour has already begun mobilization of the workers; while also working together with the civil society organizations across the country.

He pointed out that the congress, for example, has been meeting with all its states executives and the civil society organizations to sensitize their members and Nigerians on the protest, adding that the fight is for all Nigerians.

The TUC president said: “We have had meetings with our state executives and other civil society organizations, we are on sensitization level now. The fight is for all of us. We can’t fold our hands to allow the country to continue being run the way it is. We will give an ultimatum to the government.”

When asked about the specific time of the action, he said: “By the second week in August, we should be able to mobilise our people to move out to start that protest.”

He regretted that President Buhari and the anti-corruption agencies have refused to take specific action especially on the NDDC and the EFCC, adding that the purpose of the protest, therefore, is to ensure that the Presidency take decisive action on the issue of corruption not only in NDDC, NSITF and the EFCC but all through the system of governance.

He said, “our aim for the protest is to enforce the Presidency and the anti-corruption agencies to take immediate action that would stop other people from going to that trade. They ( President and the anti-corruption agencies) are all silent. We want to enforce them to take action immediately. If action is not taken, others will see it as an opportunity.”

Comrade Olaleye pointed out that Labour is also a partner in running the economy of the nation, as the majority of the populace are workers.

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He lamented that only 10 per cent of the society represents the politicians, who unfortunately hold the wealth of the country to their own advantage instead of to the advantage of the masses.

The TUC President said: “Recently, we have been battling with a lot of corruption issues in the country, and we have seen clips that are very embarrassing to our nation and the question we on the labour side ask ourselves is that for how long are we going to continue.

“The pandemic has further exposed our country especially on the love of government to the people and I can tell you it shows that our politicians are not our friends. Their posture shows that they are very selfish people, they don’t care for us even though we are the ones that voted them into the office to run the affairs of the nation on our behalf.

“In the NDDC, the money meant for development ended up in the hands of a few people. Procedures on giving out contracts were not followed and contracts in NDDC became a sharing lot to some cabals, some few elements in the country.

“We have started mobilizing workers around the country, and the civil society organizations to make sure that we say no to the level of corruption in our country. Even if they embezzled the money and invest in our country, it would have been advantageous to us but after stealing all the money, they invest the money abroad. That is why we are not seeing a positive impact on the economy.”

The TUC President also appealed to the Federal Government not to merge or reduce the number of ministries and parastatals as being planed.

Olaleye said: “A country that is facing a high rate of unemployment and now the pandemic, you are now bringing the issue of implementing a report that has to reduce the numbers of ministries and parastatals that the country has.

“What that will lead to is definitely redundancy, even without government implementing that now, private sectors, the organised private sectors and others have started implementing the voice of the government.”

He added: “In the Tourism and Entertainment industry, a lot of our members are owed without salary. I have reported the issue of the airport hotel in Lagos. This is an investment owned by about six South-West states, and the owner of that business, they are governors that are supposed to care for their people but now, they send everybody home without any pay. Are they really representing us?”

 

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