Recession: Labour calls for united action for recovery, demands wage increase

Organised labour has admonished the political and economic class to cultivate “a bipartisan and pan-Nigerian approach” to overcome the current economic crisis instead of passing blames and giving excuses.

General Secretary of Textile Workers and NLC NEC member, Comrade Issa Aremu, gave the labour position while commenting on the recently released Quarterly National Accounts (QNA) of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) at a CBN interactive session with stakeholders in Owerri at the weekend.

Comrade Aremu observed that all Nigerians, regardless of their callings are dammed by the data on rising inflation, double digit interest rates, factory closures and general underdevelopment.

He advised that all Nigerians must collectively confront underdevelopment instead of giving excuses and blaming each other.

On the views of the two former governors of Central Bank, Charles Chukwuma Soludo  and the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi on the policy thrust  of Buhari administration, comrade Aremu said their comment were unhelpful.

“The two voices   sounded too familiar, predictable but unhelpful for an economy begging for solutions,” he said, adding that it is time to “work the recovery of Nigeria,” based on 1999 Constitution’s provision that says that the purpose of governance is welfare and security of the citizens.

According to him, after 30 years of structural adjustment programme of privatisation, trade liberalisation and currency/financial liberalisation, Nigeria urgently must replace the current disjointed policies with sustainable national development agenda consolidated in various national discourses articulated in visions 2010, 2020 and 2014 National conference.

The labour leader said Nigeria has for so long failed to plan, making the country “perpetually preparing to fail” and insisting that it was time the National Planning Commission be replaced by functional federal ministry of planning, to ensure implementation of all the policy recommendations.