The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC is alleging that the government has perfected plans to attack its peaceful rallies scheduled for February 27 and 28, across the country
A statement signed by NLC President, Joe Ajaero says one of the groups being primed to attack its peaceful rallies is by a nebulous name, Nigeria Civil Society Forum, NCSF.
The NLC Says the NCSF is one of the emergency groups set up, funded and promoted by the government to cause violence against its members for electing to peacefully protest against the hunger in the land.
Ajaero says Labour would want the State to know that the solution to its horrible economic situation and hunger is not by suppressing peaceful dissent or inflicting violence on protesting citizens as the government did in Minna and other cities where its agents tear-gassed and beat up women before locking them up for raising their voice against hunger.
It notes that It does not lie in the deployment of State-sponsored terror, as the pangs of hunger cannot be cowed by bullets or tear gas.
The NLC says together with its civil society allies is moving ahead with its protest rallies against economic hardship and insecurity.
The statement says the NLC has a fundamental right to peaceful protest and history bears her witness that its protests are always peaceful except in instances of State-engineered violence.
The NLC used the statement to advise the State to put on its thinking cap and find solutions to the pains it continues to cause the people instead of further dehumanising them and that it will be making a costly mistake, if it uses violence, because any attack will lead to a total shut down via withdrawal of services by workers.
(EDITOR: TIENABESO BIBIYE)
