Labour accuses FG of not protecting Nigerians

Organised labour on Monday accused the
Federal Government of failing in its
responsibility of ensuring the protection of
lives and property of the Nigerian citizenry.
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr.
Abdulwahed Omar; and his counterpart in the
Trade Union Congress, Mr. Bobboi Kaigama,
said that the bombings, killings,
assassinations, kidnappings and other vices in
the society had become rather disturbing.
In a joint Independence anniversary
statement, Omar and Kaigama lamented that
the ugly scenes that were only seen in movies
had become daily occurrences in the country
and that the situation seemed to have
overwhelmed the government.
They said that violence perpetrated by the
violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in Borno,
Yobe and Kano states; the killings by the
Fulani herdsmen; and the threat by Niger
Delta militants to destroy oil pipeline
infrastructure had placed a question mark on
the security of the nation.
The labour leaders’ statement read, “It is a
sad fact that our children can now identify
various types of guns through the sounds of
their respective shots.
“It pricks the heart of Congress that
bombings, killings, assassinations,
kidnappings, suicide bombings and other
negative scenes we watched in movies many
years ago are now live occurrences among us
and seem to have overwhelmed the
government and security operatives.
“The major responsibility of government to
protect lives and property has eluded it.
“The series of carnage caused by the Boko
Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe, Kano etc.,
the rampage by Fulani herdsmen in Jos, and
the threat by Niger Delta militants to destroy
pipelines and other oil and gas infrastructure
have put the security of the nation to
question. ”
Omar and Kaigama also blamed the
backwardness of the country on corruption,
which, according to them, was responsible for
the problems in the oil and gas sector and the
decision to ensure importation of refined
petroleum products rather than locally
refining the products, among others.
They called on the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission; the Independent Corrupt
Practices and other Related Offences
Commission; and the Nigerian Police to
ensure the performance of their statutory
responsibilities.
They also called on the Federal Government to
lead the fight against corruption “by
demonstrating the will and determination to
enforce relevant laws and win the fight.”
Speaking also on the state of the nation’s
economy, the NLC and the TUC said that the
Federal Government had a responsibility to
prove its claim that the economy was strong
by paying the striking university lecturers the
amount of money they were asking for.

Source: punchng