Members of the organised labour movement in Nigeria began a protest today, August 2, over the fuel subsidy removal and hike in petrol price, by pulling down the main entrance gate to the National Assembly, Abuja and forcing themselves into the premises as they chanted solidarity-songs.
Reports reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper from Oyo showed that members of the labour movement attacked some workers who defied the call for protest.
The protest in Abuja was led by the national President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, with the immediate past President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba in attendance.
Addressing the protesters in Abuja, Ayuba Wabba blamed successive governments for the failure to fix Nigeria’s oil refineries.
He wondered why the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries have not been fixed inspite of the many promises made by the federal government.
According to him, Nigeria is the only oil producing country in the world that does not have a single functional refinery, even as he accused the political elites and their businessmen collaborators of stripping the country of her wealth.
Wabba said that the rich few are holding Nigeria by the throat, and that they are milking the poor dry.
Our Reporter in Kano said the protest was carried out in peaceful march by the leadership of the organised labour and a few members.
However, in Oyo, protesting members of the NLC, stormed the state secretariat, beating civil servants who refused to join the on-going protest in the state.
The protesting NLC members are drawn from various ministries, which include judiciary, parastatals and other agencies.
Civil servants were beaten up by the protesters, under the watch of some labour leaders, disrupting activities in government offices for several hours, locking some in their offices.
