Protests, counter productive, LPA warns NLC

Ahead of the planned nationwide strike by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos People’s Assembly (LPA) has called on the union to shelve the protest for the sake of national peace and security.

The group stated that embarking on a protest at this time would be injurious to the economic well-being of the people, saying though it recognises the right of the labour unions to embark on protest or strike.

Speaking at a briefing yesterday, themed: ‘Constructive Engagements is the way out of our economic challenges,’ spokesperson of the group, Nelson Ekujumi stated that the economic well being of the people must be considered, saying that constructive engagement between the government and the people would solve the current crisis in the country.

He said: “Going on a protest march at this point in time will be injurious to the economic wellbeing of Lagosians, Nigerians and a negation of what labour stands for.

“Lagos State, like we all know, is a volatile environment, because it is the envy of anti democratic elements who would stop at nothing to pull the state and Nigeria backward at the slightest opportunity. The trauma of the 2020 EndSARS protests with its damage to limbs, destruction of life and public and private properties still haunts us till date.

“The only solution to our economic challenges is constructive engagements between the government and the citizenry and not protest marches or strikes, the Lagos State government has inaugurated it’s committee on the distribution of palliatives which is made up of eminent Nigerians, it is our conviction and belief that this committee of which we are admonishing other states governments to follow suit, should be given the benefit of doubt to play it’s part in alleviating the plight of the common man for which they have been constituted to do.

“We want it placed on record that the LPA will help monitor the various social intervention programmes recently announced by the Lagos State government to ensure they are judiciously executed for the benefit of the people and we will also provide regular independent reports to the Lagos State government as our own contribution.

“As an assembly of Lagosians, the LPA will at all times, hold government at all levels, accountable to the tenets of good governance, while also admonishing the citizenry to be alive to their duties and responsibilities.”

The LPA consists 80 Civil Society Organizations, which include, Campaign Against Impunity and Domestic Violence (CAIDV), Committee for the Protection of Peoples Mandate (CPPM), Patriotism Awareness Forum (PAF), Centre for Leadership and Democratic Ethics (CLDE), Coalition of Oodua Self Determination Groups (COSEG), Oodua Republic Front (ORF), Ideal Society Movement (ISM) and Centre for Public Accountability, among others.