Ahead of today’s nationwide protests by the Nigeria Labour Congress, the police have mobilised special forces and tactical teams to ensure a violence-free demonstration. State police commands, in separate interviews with news men on Tuesday, confirmed their readiness to tackle miscreants and political hirelings who may want to disrupt the rallies.
The NLC had stated that it would not retract its planned nationwide protests, which were called in response to the escalating insecurity in the country and other labour issues. However When asked if the NLC has mobilized its affiliate unions for the rallies, the spokesperson for the congress, Benson Upah, stated that they are going on with the protest across the country, warning that any attempt to interfere with today’s National Day of Protest and Mourning could spark a nationwide indefinite strike.
Also, Upah in a statement on Tuesday, explained that the union had received intelligence suggesting that unscrupulous agencies and desperate political hirelings might try to infiltrate or violently disrupt the demonstrations. He added that harming even a single worker or citizen would trigger an immediate and indefinite shutdown across all sectors of the economy.
The protest is linked to broader labour grievances, including unresolved agreements with the Federal Government, rising cost of living, and the impact of insecurity on workers’ productivity, safety and livelihoods.
