Cross Udo, Abuja
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday threatened to shut down the economy if the Federal Government fails to address the lingering naira scarcity within seven days.
The seven-day ultimatum was issued after an emergency Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Abuja.
The NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero, while briefing journalists, decried that Nigerians were highly suffering as a result of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) cashless policy and threatened to ask workers to withdraw their services around the country if the problem is not resolved in the next seven days.
The NLC President said, “First, it’s difficult for us to assess the little money we have in banks and Nigerians are groaning. This is the same money they were asked to pay into the banks.
“We are also aware that it’s difficult to get Petroleum products and where you see it, a litre costs N350 in some parts of the country.
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“We will no longer be quiet about this issue of perennial fuel scarcity and arbitrary increase in prices.
“On the issue of cash crunch, the NLC is giving the FG, the agencies under it including the CBN and other banking institutions seven working days to address it. If they fail to do it at the expiration of the seven working days, Congress is directing all workers in the country to stay at home because it has become very difficult to access even N1, especially for traders who do not have bank accounts.
“We’ve also discovered that even when banks give out old currencies, they can’t be spent. Even when you take them back to the same banks, they’re not accepting them. We’ve been frustrated to a level that we can no longer keep quiet.”
On the State Council elections of the NLC, Ajaero accused some state governors of illegally interfering with the proceedings.
According to him, “In the last few days, you may also have noticed that the position of the NLC and state council election that is going on, the state governors now dictate to the NLC through the chairmen in those states.
“In the last delegate conference, we told you that such is a no-no in this dispensation. That brings us to the case against Imo State where the Governor openly challenged that people should stick out for a particular candidate and in our attempt to say such things do not happen in civilised societies, it was met with manhandling by the Governor of the state. They came to disrupt our election.
“Our state secretariat in Imo has been destroyed by thugs sent by the Governor. The thugs took over that place for three months. And the state chairman was driven out of the state up till this moment.
“In terms of the security situation in the country, we are holding all political gladiators as the interest of this country is paramount to all of us,” he added.
