Hardship: Despite DSS Warning, Labour Insists On Protest

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described the warning from the Department of State Services (DSS) to shelve the planned protest against the high cost of living in the country as “unsolicited advice,” saying that history will not forgive them if they do not carry out the action.
In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday, NLC president, Comrade Joe Ajaero said that the NLC and its allies were concerned by the “unsolicited advice” of the DSS, which he accused of acting as the “chief spokesperson of the government” and trying to blackmail and lie against the forthcoming protesters.

He said that NLC had a history of peaceful demonstrations and were not intending to cause any violence or disruption, but rather to express their grievances over the “unprecedented high cost of living, the indescribable suffering in the land, spiralling inflation, deepening poverty and the Naira at an exchange rate of N1,900 to the US Dollar”.
The labour leader added that the DSS’s claim that the government was working to ameliorate the economic condition was not convincing, as the Nigerian workers are yet see any concrete actions or results from the authorities about the current hardship they faced.

The labour centre also questioned why the DSS had not arrested the “elements” who were allegedly planning to use the opportunity of the protest to foment crisis and violence, as the DSS had claimed.
NLC further stated that the protesters were patriotic citizens who loved the country and would never do anything to compromise its sovereignty or security.

Ajaero said that the protest would be peaceful one against the “unpardonable cost of living” of which the personnel of the DSS were also victims.

He added that the protesters could not fold their hands and pretend all was well, as that would be a “grievous conspiracy that history will not forgive.”
The DSS had yesterday urged the organised labour to consider negotiation and dialogue as against the planned protests slated for February 27 and 28.
In a statement by DSS spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunanya, the Service said it was aware that some elements were planning to use the opportunity of the protest to foment crisis and, by extension, widespread violence.

The Service also called on Nigerians to give the government time to address the current challenges as all government levels are working hard to find solutions to the current challenges.