Ajaka to NLC: Shelve protest, give Tinubu’s govt benefit of one year

Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the last Kogi state election, Alhaji Yakubu Murtala Ajaka, has appealed to the Organised Labour Movement led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to jettison the scheduled idea of national protest against hunger.

Ajaka also urged the Unions to give government of President Bola Tinubu the benefit of trust at least till the 29th of May, 2024 when this administration would be one calendar year post inauguration.

The NLC had scheduled a nationwide protest against hunger for February 25 and 26.

Reacting to the development through a statement he personally signed Sunday in Abuja, Ajaka said the decision to go on strike if not revisited, could trigger precipitous consequences in the forms of exercerbation of the current quagmire and an escalation of criminality and attendant insecurity which are predictable recipes for the breakdown of civil order.

According to the Kogi state born politician, there is no denying the fact of invasive poverty owing basically to the speedy escalation of prices of essential commodities like foodstuffs and necessaries as well as the cost of services.

The statement read: “I dutifully join other patriots in identifying with the concerns of fellow Nigerians over the prevailing economic hardship in our dear country; and also to offer counsel to the Organised Labour Movement led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) against embarking on their proposed national strike.

“The decision to go on strike if not revisited, could trigger precipitous consequences in the forms of exercerbation of the current quagmire and an escalation of criminality and attendant insecurity which are predictable recipes for the breakdown of civil order.

“This is due to a systemic institutional adjustments by government that are geared towards revamping our abyss-bound economy. It is a global experience that the pain we confront now is the immediate shock that logically attends such redemptive economic policies.

“Truly, all Nigerians including my humble self are groaning under the excruciating torment of this harsh existential reality but on the flip side, it is a call to patriotic understanding so that our reactions do not undermine the unity and security the country.

“I therefore plead with Organised Labour to exercise exemplary patience, demobilise their members from the imminent industrial action and grant government the benefit of trust at least till the 29th of May, 2024 when this administration would be one calendar year post inauguration. This I seek in the national interest.”