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…Berates govt on budget
By Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
Against the backdrop of many travails that Nigerians passed through in the year 2023, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has said that Nigerians may be able to change the narrative in 2024, with sincere, committed, responsible and responsive leadership.
This is even as it berated the federal government on the 2024 budget, which it noted that “a careful and critical dissection of the budget would easily reveal that it was primarily and essentially designed to take care of the ruling class.”
The congress in a statement signed by its President, Festus Osifo and Secretary General, Nuhu Toro, noted that the budget of N27.5 trillion for the 2024 Appropriation year, later changed to 28.77 trillion naira was the highest the nation ever had, but paradoxically low in terms of value, considering the prevailing economic realities and exchange rate.
“On the whole, the poor and wobbly state of the economy has ironically and unfortunately only dampened, rather than renew our hope,” the Congress said.
It noted that in the budget, recurrent expenditure stands at N9.92 trillion, while the capital expenditure is N8.7 trillion and debt servicing is N8.25 trillion, stating that this can neither stimulate economic growth nor alleviate the abject poverty of suffering Nigerians.
The TUC painted how the outgone year was one long, excruciating litany of lost opportunities and dashed hopes, thereby saluting the resilience of the oppressed and suffering Nigerian Workers in particular, and the masses of Nigerian people in general, for refusing to bow, or be cowed or crushed.
“We have soldiered-on despite diminishing value of our wages, low purchasing power amidst high cost of living, and the humongous challenges confronting us as a people,” the Congress said.
The labour centre lamented how the merchandising of the scarce forex and inability of the manufacturing sector to access forex to import raw materials for production has led to the closure of many factories and business outfits.
It stated, “as a result, millions of Nigerians were thrown out of jobs, with the attendant social, economic and security implications. At the same time, the political class have carried on with no care in the world.”
Noting that the TUC strived to ensure social dialogue with the Federal Government in 2023, it however expressed how government has serially violated agreement reached with Organised Labour.
“For instance, Item 2 states clearly that: “A minimum wage committee shall be inaugurated within one month from the date of this agreement.” Today, three months after, no such committee has been set up by government. This was also our experience with this government in at least two previous agreements reached from June 2023.
2024 demands
Expressing optimism, the Ccongress said 2024 holds a lot of promise provided, “Nigerians as a people would unite and assert our authority over all powers, including the Nigerian ruling class manning all branches, levels, institutions and organs of government.”
It, however, put out demands on the federal government to turn the nation around, both on the social and economic fronts.
The TUC stated that all agreements between labour and government, including the payment of the monthly N35,000 wage award to public servants in the local government, state and federal services, must be implemented until a new National Minimum Wage is implemented.
“A new National Minimum Wage must be negotiated, implemented, and if further delayed in the year, arrears must be paid,” it demanded.
Stating that inflation, is running at 28.20 percent, TUC said this must be drastically reduced to the Sub-Saharan African regional average of 9.4 percent.
Other demands include,
“Governments at state and federal levels should stop the unnecessary, economically-unwise and unpatriotic tradition of taking loans, especially when these loans only end up being used to purchase thousands of expensive jeeps for legislators, pampered members of the Executive and their spouses, or in building unnecessary offices and purchasing mundane and sundry things, including stationary.
“Government should stop its ill-advised devaluation of the national currency, that is precipitating the collapse of local industries which need foreign exchange to import raw materials, and which has led to mega inflation in our import-dependent economy.”
It further demanded that the sale of the Naira in the streets due to the Central Bank-induced scarcity must be stopped.
This, it said is possible, provided government ensures adequate supply of Naira notes in the banking system.
“The very high price of PMS, which is now at a poverty-inducing price of N617 at the NNPC fuel stations (much higher elsewhere) should be drastically reduced to repair the damage done to the economy.
The TUC noted that the price of PMS could be reduced if government gives attention to local production of refine products.
Speaking on security, the labour centre said Nigerians should be the yard stick with which to determine whether military and other security chiefs and their supervising Ministers should remain in office or be replaced.
“Specifically, rather than lament, President Tinubu has a duty to sanction officials for serious security breaches such as the December, 2023 massacres in Plateau State,” it stated, adding that in order to ensure maximum security, Community Policing should be prioritized alongside the mobilisation of the citizenry to defend themselves against bandits and terrorists.
It also charged government to engage in dialogue with aggrieved groups representing nationalities who feel marginalised, short-changed or shut out.
