The organized labor in Abia State claims that the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, DSS, have given permission for them to join their colleagues from across the federation in protesting the high cost of petrol after the federal government removed the subsidy on it.
The leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) informed Governor Alex Otti of this during their visit.
The labor leaders, who were led by Comrades Paschal Nweke of the NLC and Ihechi Enogwe of the TUC, made it clear that the purpose of the demonstration on Wednesday was to express their disapproval of the federal government rather than to criticize the Abia State government.
The labor leaders commended Governor Otti’s appointment of Comrade Sunny Onwuma as a commissioner and complimented him for paying the payments due to Abia employees for July before the month’s end.
In response, Governor Otti praised the guests for coming to tell him about their plan and urged them to make sure that they behave in a civil manner during the protest in order to prevent outsiders from seizing control of the demonstration.
He described how the nation’s economy was in serious difficulties as a result of the twin problems of petroleum subsidy and foreign exchange demand, adding that the poor were not the ones who benefited from subsidy payments but rather a wealthy few.
The Governor, however, acknowledged the negative impact that the sudden removal of subsidy on petrol may have had on the populace.
“The challenge for us is to ensure that the impact is reduced and we’re putting our heads together to see how we, as a State, will reduce the impact on our people.
“I’m happy that you have promised that there is not going to be any violence because people can also hijack it and once people hijack it, it goes out of your control,” Otti said.
The Governor declared that there is nothing wrong with protest for as long as it is conducted within the ambit of the law.
According to Otti, “It’s a democracy so your voices should be heard. But what I think is also important is that when you see genuine effort at resolving what you’re protesting against, then you should embrace it because all of us are asking for the same thing. We want a better place for everybody.”
