The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, says the ongoing nationwide protest is about the level of hunger in the country and the failure of government to implement a new minimum wage.
Ajaero stated this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
“There’s absolute hunger, and we’re told not to speak out; should we die of hunger?” Ajaero said.
“This protest is about minimum wage and hunger. What of those not working? When will minimum wages be completed and implemented? What will be the minimum wage that will end hunger?
“The United Nations said the poorest man should be fed on $2 daily. If you have a family of six people, you spend $12 daily and $360 monthly. This translates to about N700,000. This is on feeding alone; then there’s transportation, accommodation, and medical.”
He also accused the federal government of failing to implement the proposals put forward by the NLC following the removal of fuel subsidy.
He said, “There was hunger in the land, but not this bad until deregulation. We made propositions after deregulation, but they were not implemented. If transportation issues were solved immediately after deregulation, 50 per cent of the problem would have been solved.
“Even when you process garri in the village, you need to transport it to town, and you add the expenses incurred to the cost. The moment PMS went up, there were issues.
He also alleged that the cash transfer, CNG buses, and wage award have not been implemented.
Ajaero also stated that the NLC will review the situation and deliberate on steps to be taken.
