Kogi governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Yakubu Murtala Ajaka has appealed to Organised Labour to shelve its proposed nationwide protest billed for Tuesday and Wednesday in the interest of the country.
Ajaka warned Organised Labour that the attendant consequences of embarking on an industrial action at this period may be a recipe for the breakdown of civil order.
The SDP 2023 Kogi state flag bearer, who was reacting to threats by Organised Labour to protest against hardship in the country in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, advised their leaders to jettison the scheduled protest and give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu some time to find a lasting solution to done of the challenges being faced now.
Ajaka said the decision to go on strike if not revisited, could trigger precipitous consequences in the forms of exacerbation of the current quagmire and an escalation of criminality and attendant insecurity which are predictable recipes for the breakdown of civil order.
He admitted that there is no denying the fact of invasive poverty owing basically to the speedy escalation of prices of essential commodities like foodstuffs and necessaries as well as the cost of services may be responsible for their agitation.
The statement reads: “I dutifully join other patriots in identifying with the concerns of fellow Nigerians over the prevailing economic hardship in our dear country; and also to offer counsel to the Organised Labour Movement led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) against embarking on their proposed national strike.
“The decision to go on strike if not revisited could trigger precipitous consequences in the forms of exacerbation of the current quagmire and an escalation of criminality and attendant insecurity which are predictable recipes for the breakdown of civil order.
“This is due to systemic institutional adjustments by the government that are geared towards revamping our abyss-bound economy. It is a global experience that the pain we confront now is the immediate shock that logically attends to such redemptive economic policies.
“Truly, all Nigerians including my humble self are groaning under the excruciating torment of this harsh existential reality but on the flip side, it is a call to patriotic understanding so that our reactions do not undermine the unity and security of the country.
“I therefore plead with Organised Labour to exercise exemplary patience, demobilise their members from the imminent industrial action and grant the government the benefit of trust at least till the 29th of May, 2024 when this administration would be one calendar year post-inauguration. This I seek in the national interest.”
