Following the last minute withdrawal of their permit by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authority to use Eagle Square for Workers’ Day celebrations, the organised labour in Nigeria will now use the streets of Abuja as new venue for the May Day event.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) general-secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja in a statement on Saturday, said the change of venue was decided to deepen the congress reconnection with the people who are true partners in the struggle for a free society.
To this end Ugboaja said, “By 8:00 AM, all affiliates are to assemble on the grounds of the Paschal Bafyau Labour House on Monday, 1st of May from where they shall proceed on a rally around Abuja.
On Friday, Trade Union Congress (TUC ) rejected offer made by the FCDA to use Old Parade Ground in Area 10, Abuja for the event.
TUC national president, Comrade Festus Osifo told journalists in Abuja that the organised labour was disappointed by the government action to put political considerations above workers priority.
Osifo said, “They have asked us to go to the Old Parade Ground, and we are not going, If they are not giving us the place that we have been using for this event, then we will wait, and at the appropriate time, we will answer them.
May 1 is four weeks away from the handing over date but our government is telling us that political considerations are much more important than workers’ issues”.
In the same vein, Comrade Osifoh also condemned move by the federal government to privatise government-owned hospitals, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), adding that Nigerian workers would resist any plan to sell the assets of public-owned establishments.
Speaking further he said, “TUC is opposed to plans by the federal government to privatise NIPOST and to strip the entity of its assets, handing them over to private concerns, we say no to this, and it is fundamentally incorrect because NIPOST is a national asset,” he said.
Osifo also alleged that the Federal Ministry of Finance had released N8 billion for the proposed privatisation plan of which large part would be given to private companies that would manage the assets.
While speaking on the issues around transport sector, in Lagos, Oyo and Ekiti states, the TUC equally asked the state governments to as a matter of urgency return the parks to the Road Transport Owners Association of Nigeria (RETAN) in honour of the court order.
