The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has condemned government’s handling of key economic issues and has directed its members to embark on a strike from December 1 in states refusing to implement the new national minimum wage.
This is contained in a communique issued at the end of NLC’s National Executive Council meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The communique signed by NLC President, Joe Ajaero, signals a rising wave of discontent that could intensify if demands are not met.
Ajaero emphatically aired NLC’s displeasure against the deteriorating state of the economy, expressing concern over escalating inflation and the inability of millions of Nigerians to afford basic necessities.
He decried the state of nutrition in Nigeria, where diseases like kwashiorkor have re-emerged due to widespread poverty and malnutrition.
The Congress further denounced what it described as a deliberate pricing manipulation in Nigeria’s petrol market, which has seen prices climb beyond what should be justified.
According to the NLC, “fat cats” in the oil industry have been padding costs, creating inflated prices that keep Nigerian workers and consumers in a stranglehold.
The NLC urged the government to reactivate public refineries and break the monopoly of powerful players to reduce petrol costs and end market manipulation that burdens the populace.
(Editor: Okechukwu Eze)
