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…seek FG’s intervention
From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Hoteliers in Imo State have expressed worry over the blackout experienced in the State as a result of the industrial strike action directed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC ) over the recent attack on its president, Joe Ajaero by miscreants and controversial taken to custody by the police.
The blackout which enters day two seemed to be having a hard toll on the hotels in the State which now runs twenty four hours on PMS and CNG.
Chairman of State Hoteliers Association, Chima Chukwuyenre briefing newsmen at the weekend appealed for a diplomatic way to settle the problem even as he called on the federal government to wade into the matter.
Chukwunyere described the tourism industry as the second largest employer of labour in the state after the government adding that the power outage was having a debilitating effect on the industry, with some hotels shutting down.
He said that with the diesel selling at the rate of N1,300 per litre, it has become increasingly difficult to sustain the industry following the outage.
According to him, some staff members of hotels already lost their jobs as their employers could no longer sustain their remunerations and the added running cost, a fallout of the blackout.
“ We are calling on the state Government to put a human face and employ diplomacy in the current situation.
“ Also, we want the NLC to understand that although they are fighting for the rights of the masses, it will not be morally right to take decisions capable of subjecting the masses to more hardship.
“ We were never informed that there would be power outage, it happened without prior notice and we therefore call for diplomatic solutions to the disagreement “, he said.
