Plateau State organized labour has join their counterpart for the ongoing nationwide protest over what they described as anti poor people policies of the Federal Government.
The nationwide protest is ongoing simultaneously today (Wednesday) across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, over failure of the Federal Government to meet the demands of the workers and the poor masses of Nigeria.
The Plateau State protest which was held under the Bridge of Secretariat Junction flyover in Jos, saw different workers unions and the civil society groups participating as police personnels were also seen around the venue.
Addressing the press at the venue, the Plateau State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, (TUC) Comrade, Kenneth Shammah, who described the protest as a rally, said if the Federal Government failed to listen to them and the rally eventually turn into protest the government will feel the heat.
He said in the history of Nigeria, this is the first time that they are given demands with solutions and with a holistic approach to the Government on how to resolve the issues amicably.
“They said let the poor breath, we want the poor to breath. How do we go about that? This is a simple thing, we have a very simple template for them, follow this template. We know the system, we understand the system… They are going behind, criticizing it and this is not the way to go.
“We keep saying don’t suffocate the poor, allow the poor to breath, how can you breath under this scenario? How can you breath when you are Suffocated? How can you breath when someone is sitting on your own lung? Enough is enough, Comrade Shammah added.
Also, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, Comrade Eugene Manji, said they are protesting because of the poor policies of the government, saying if allow, what the country will face in the near future nobody can withstand it.
“Now in September I wonder how many parents would be able to pay the School fee of their children. That is part of the danger of those things that we are facing. The increase from 197 of pump price of PMS is just a bye away of it… People are thinking we are antigonizing the government” he noted.
He said the determining factor of commodity prices mostly is the fuel and said the government could have put up some measures before the removal of the fuel subsidy.
The Vice President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Jos chapter, Chris Piwuna said as long as the government will continue to torment them with draconia and I’ll conceive policies, they would continue to fight.
“This thing started like a joke, taxes everywhere, VAT everywhere. In the last ten or so years, we have lost count of how electricity has gone up. Now within a spern of two months or so, pump price of petrol have gone by over three hundred percent. We can’t take it any longer” he added.
The protest as observed truncated some activities in the state as some major commercial banks gate are seen closed in the city of Jos, the state capital.x
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