The protests called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against the ongoing hardship Nigerians has reached seven more states.
The states are Osun, Oyo, Zamfara, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Anambra, Ebonyi
This brings to 14 the number of states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where the protest is going on nationwide.
Earlier on Thursday, 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that the strike was already taking place in Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Imo Kwara, and Kaduna, Plateau
Osun
The protest in Osun state has paralysed business activities for some hours on Tuesday in Osogbo, the state capital.
The protesters moved towards Olaiya Junction where they eventually converged, vehicular movement was grounded along Osogbo/Gbongan road.
Also, for more than two hours that the protesters converged under Olaiya Bridge, business activities around the area were paralysed.
The state NLC chairman, Christopher Arapasopo, led the protest which began march from Freedom Park, Osogbo, and moved through MDS road chanting anti-President Bola Tinubu songs.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria, and Nigeria Union of Journalists, among others joined the protest in Osogbo.
Oyo
In Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde joined the state workers in the peaceful protest.
Makinde told the protesters that the current hardship would soon be over.
The workers began their protest from the NLC state secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan, the state capital, down to Gate – NTA – Yemetu roundabout where Governor Makinde joined the protesting workers.
The governor said, “I am aware of the hardship in town and the difficulty the people are going through but I will be part of the generation that will fix the country.”
He also assured the workers that their letters of protest and complaints would be delivered to President Bola Tinubu.
Zamfara
Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State witnessed the protest as the worker sin the were on the streets to demonstrate against economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
The workers marched to the office of the State’s Head of Service, Barrister Ahmed Liman.
The chairman of the state chapter of the NLC, Sani Haliru, said the protest was not only for the workers but for the entire people of the country.
“The alarming rate of hunger and starvation, suffering has become so worrisome and unbearable that the labour forces have no option than to go on protest,” Haliru said.
Ekiti
Workers in Ekiti State also joined their counterparts in other states to protest against the high cost of living occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal and floating of the exchange rate.
The workers from across the 39 affiliates of the NLC in the state gathered at the popular Fajuyi Park and marched around major streets in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital under the thorough supervision of the policemen.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Mr President, Address High Cost of Foods”, “Remove Tax on Drugs, “We Say No to Slavery, “End insecurity”, ” Help Fix Our Refineries, and “Enough is Enough”, among others.
They barricaded roads leading to the Okesa Market, Market, and Adebayo Area of Ado metropolis for almost two hours.
The Ekiti NLC chairman, Comr. Kolapo Olatunde said the protest became necessary to send a signal to governments at all levels that the people could no longer endure the prevailing hardship in the country.
Olatunde said that Ekiti workers had cause to join the nationwide protest, noting that the astronomical surge in the cost of goods and services has made life unbearable for Nigerians.
Bayelsa
Workers in Bayelsa State took to the streets of Yenagoa to protest over the economic hardship being experienced across the country.
The workers moved in procession along the Lambert Eradiri Drive through the Melford Okilo Road, terminating at the Government House at Onopa in Yenagoa to press home their demands.
The protesting workers sang solidarity songs carrying placards with inscriptions such as ‘Politicians, Let the Poor Breathe’, ‘End Hunger and Poverty; We Reject IMF Policies’, ‘Stop the High Cost of Living in Nigeria’, ‘Federal Government, Make Our Refineries Work Again’, “Fund our Public Schools, among others.
The chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of the NLC, Barnabas Simon, said the ailing economy occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and a spike in the exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar had made life unbearable for workers and the ordinary citizens.
Simon said the high inflation in basic food, goods, and services had made survival a Herculean task for many families.
Anambra
Anambra State workers have decried the withdrawal of the wage award announced by Governor Charles Soludo to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal, just as they also jied the sprotes like their counterparts in other states.
Soludo had last year introduced the wage award of N12,000 per worker, starting in September and lasting for four months until December 2023.
The protesting workers during today’s protest questioned Soludo’s decision to withdraw the wage increase while the economic challenges caused by the removal of fuel subsidy persisted.
The state NLC chairman, Comrade Humphery Nwafor, said the removal of the wage award would increase the hardships faced by the masses, adding that the protest was in line with the directive of the national body against the policies of the Federal Government.
Ebonyi
Workers in Ebaonyi State also took part in the protest taking place across the country.
The workers matched through the major streets of Abakaliki, calling on the FG to address the plight of the poor masses, especially as they noted that Nigerians are dying of hunger and starvation.
They carried placards with the inscriptions saying “Tinubu end hunger now in Nigeria, “we say no to hunger, “Tinubu end poverty now in Nigeria, “we say no to high cost of living, “Nigerians are dying of harsh policies” among others.
The state chairman NLC, Prof. Ogugua Egwu, said the protest was organised to let the government know the plight of Nigerians, adding that the harsh policies of the government is killing the masses.
“It is obvious that the Nigerian people are dying, they are suffering and smiling. It is obvious that despite the hardship they face on daily basis they still continue to move.
