Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity during an interview with TVC on Tuesday, termed the NLC nationwide protest as needless.
Amidst Nigeria’s economic challenges, the NLC initiated a two-day protest aimed at pressuring federal and state governments to address widespread hunger and other pressing issues affecting citizens.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, presented a list of demands to the National Assembly in Abuja on Tuesday, calling for the full implementation of welfare measures, job creation initiatives, immediate subsidies to farmers to boost agricultural output, and the restoration of the nation’s four refineries, among other appeals.
Responding to the protest, Ngelale stated that the Federal Government had already begun efforts to mitigate the hardships faced by Nigerians. However, he cautioned against labor unions exploiting the situation for political motives.
He stated, “Any labor union addressing the concerns of Nigerian families and the pains felt by our people is absolutely free to do so. It is right that Nigerians speak up in difficult situations. And the government has been doing everything possible to alleviate those concerns. But we also want to separate the legitimate concerns being expressed by some of the labor unions from people trying to leverage some of the situations in the country to achieve a political agenda.”
Ngelale further highlighted the withdrawal of support from other prominent groups, stating, “We have seen the Trade Union Congress (TUC) pull out of the purported nationwide protest. We have seen the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) pull out of the protest. There is no unanimity behind what NLC is trying to do. I believe all of the legitimate concerns being raised by the unions are being tackled by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.”
