The Abia State organized labor said it has received permission from both the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, DSS, to join colleagues from across the federation in protesting the high price of petrol following the federal government’s elimination of the subsidy.
The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, made this known to Governor Alex Otti during their visit.
The labor leaders, led by Comrade Paschal Nweke of the NLC and Comrade Ihechi Enogwe of the TUC, clarified that Wednesday’s protest is not intended to attack the government of Abia State, but rather the federal government, and that it is intended to highlight their dissatisfaction with the federal government.
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The labor leaders congratulated Governor Otti for paying Abia workers’ July salary before the end of the month and for selecting a labour unionist, Comrade Sunny Onwuma, as a commissioner.
Governor Otti responded by thanking the guests for coming to advise him on their plans and urging them to conduct themselves orderly during the demonstration and not allow strangers to hijack the gathering.
He described how the twin concerns of petroleum subsidy and foreign exchange demand had collaborated to put the nation’s economy in jeopardy, noting that subsidy payments benefited only a wealthy few and not the poor.
The Governor, on the other hand, acknowledged the negative impact of the abrupt termination of the gasoline subsidy may have had on the populace.
“The challenge for us is to ensure that the impact is reduced and we’re putting our heads together to see how we, as a State, will reduce the impact on our people.
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“I’m happy that you have promised that there is not going to be any violence because people can also hijack it and once people hijack it, it goes out of your control,” Otti said.
The Governor declared that there is nothing wrong with protest for as long as it is conducted within the ambit of the law.
According to Otti, “It’s a democracy so your voices should be heard. But what I think is also important is that when you see genuine effort at resolving what you’re protesting against, then you should embrace it because all of us are asking for the same thing. We want a better place for everybody.”
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