From John Adams, Minna
Both government and commercial activities were brought to standstill on Wednesday in Minna, the Niger state capital as the organised labor in compliance with the directives of headquarters of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) marched through the major roads in a peaceful protest to register it displeasure over the fuel subsidy removal.
The organised labour which includes the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and other affiliates unions had converged at the labour house along IBB road, Minna as early as 7:00 am from where they began the peaceful protest march through the ever busy Minna-Tunga-Chanchaga road before terminating at the state House of Assembly.
The over 200 placards carrying protesters with different inscriptions were led by the state chairman of the NLC, Idris Abdulkareem Lafene, and the state Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba who was the immediate past Chairman of NLC in the state.
Some of the inscriptions in their placards reads: “NNPCL, a private company should not determine the prize of fuel, N8,000 palliative to household an insults to Nigerians, education is our right; stop the school fees increment, among others.
They were received at the state house of assembly complex by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Mohammed Abdulmalik Sarkindaji who commended them for the peaceful manner in which they had conducted themselves, adding that “you have demonstrated that you are the most respected union in the country”.
The Speaker told the organised labour that as representatives of the people, the legislatures shared in the plight of the people who are at the receiving end of the fuel subsidy removal, adding that it was in the realisation of this that the house passed three motion calling of the state government to consider increase in the salaries of civil servants, provide other palliatives to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal and release grains from the various silos across the state to be distributed to the people.
The Speaker acknowledged the fact the there is the need for the subsidy removal by the Federal Government to stop the massive fraud in the sector, there is also need to provide for the people palliatives and other measures to reduce the hardship occasioned by the removal of the subsidy.
He assured them that their demands which were contained in a letter handed over to him by the NLC chairman for onward transmission to the President; Ahmed Bola Tinubu will be delivered to the appropriate quarter.