- Accuses state governors, herdsmen of sabotaging Tinubu’s policy
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
A pressure group under the auspices of Nigeria Civil Society Forum, has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NPC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to suspend their planned warning strike action against the federal government.
Convener of the forum Godwin Abutu also accused the state governors, the Fulani Nationality Movement and the Miyetti Allah Kouta Hore, of sabotaging the efforts of the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, the forum argued that warning strike won’t proffer any solution to the present predicament, adding that it will rather satisfy only their ego and cash out from their sponsors and co-travellers.
“The Nigeria civil society forum therefore wishes to give the NLC/TUC 24 hours to drop their idea of a warning strike and come to the roundtable were patriotic Nigerians are concerned and are doing everything humanly possible to make sure we curb this hunger, stabilise our currency and secure our people.
“They may be enjoying the sympathy of opposition politicians and saboteurs now; but that will not be forever, as they shall be brought to Justice sooner than later. As the members of the civil society have always reiterated there is no room for sabotage our country is all that we have and we must always do our best to make it grow.
“We do not expect the leadership of NLC/TUC to pretend not to be aware that the warning strike won’t proffer any solution to our present predicament but rather satisfy only their ego and cash out from their sponsors and co-travellers.
“The Nigeria Civil Society Forum also calls on all citizens to rise to the occasion as threats such as the one made by NLC/TUC and the Fulani groups always come with renewed momentum from sponsors as they continue their desperation to sabotage the system not to work.
“We demand the arrest and persecution of anyone that comes to sabotage the system and make our situation worse. This group has proven time and again that it is responsible in aiding our woes by always coming out in defence of those sabotaging our system and frustrating the efforts of government. Only their prosecution and punishment can assuage the pains they have inflicted on our people,” the forum charged.
Naming the real saboteurs to the growth of the country, the Forum, noted that; “they are also threats by the Fulani Nationality Movement and the Miyetti Allah Kouta Hore to ensure that there is no peace in the country unless they are allowed to take over farm lands for their cattle’s to graze.
“They have resolved to make Nigeria a killing field as long as the people do not surrender their land for them to occupy ,we call on the federal government to arrest this situation before it goes out of control.
“We are aware that the Tinubu-led administration has persistently told the herdsmen that they are free to acquire land and establish ranches if they want to rest cattle’s, but they keep insisting that the land belongs to them and that they are cattle routes in Nigeria hence they must keep grazing openly.
“These killer herdsmen who bear sophisticated weapons and carry out nefarious activities are bent on continually destroying lives and property in our communities and the federal government must show more concern and call them to order.
“Even as we speak the group that has been identified as one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world is still unleashing terror on the people and has never stopped even for a moment, creating a huge humanitarian crisis in the country after killing thousands of our people, destroying property worth billions of Naira and displacing millions of people from their ancestral homes.
“Funnily enough, these critical issues we have on our hands are ignored by the leadership of NLC/TUC and their only option is warning strike. We urge to join us who are patriots in this country to holistic ally assess our situation from all angles and contribute our quota to the development of our dear country.
“The height of it is the attitude of our state governors who rather than take advantage of this policy to bring development close to our people are rather also sabotaging the system by doing nothing to an extent that some are still owing workers salaries and arrears,” the forum claimed.