Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ekiti State chapters, on Wednesday, joined the national body to protest what they described as anti-people’s policies that the removal of fuel subsidy has caused across the streets of Ado Ekiti.
The labour unions began the protest from the NLC Secretariat to the Ekiti Government House gate, demanding the suspension of fuel subsidy removal.
The protesters, chanting solidarity songs, carried placards with inscriptions such as, ‘Reduce the cost of governance now!’ ‘Save the masses from poverty and hunger,’ ‘Stop importation of fuel, revive our refineries’, ‘Nigerian masses are suffering, ‘our meagre salaries can not take care of our transport fee to and fro work,’ ‘all these maladies must stop,’ among others.
The leadership of the NLC and TUC in Ekiti State, Kolapo Olatunde and Sola Adigun, demanded the immediate reversal of all anti-people’s policies, such as hike in fuel prices, school fees, value-added tax (VAT), high cost of consumables
fixing local refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna and releasing eight months of withheld salaries of university lecturers and workers, among others.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abibat Adubiaro
and Head of Service, Bamidele Olugbenga Agbede, assured the unions of delivering their demands to the appropriate quarters.
Recall that the protest took place in all 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Policemen were on ground to forestall breakdown of laws and orders.
