The Edo State government has been given a 14-day ultimatum by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to leave its secretariat in the state capital of Benin.
Following its NEC meeting in Owerri, Imo State, on Thursday, the NLC’s president, Joe Ajaero, and general secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, issued a statement that included this information. According to the announcement, the limit of 14 working days would pass on January 8, 2025.
Additionally, the labor union requested that the Nigeria Police leave the secretariat, give back to the Congress all property that had been seized, and promise not to meddle in trade union affairs in the future. The NLC denounced Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo and the police for planning an assault on the NLC state secretariat.
“The brazen act of impunity included the ransacking of properties and the unlawful removal of items, all in a bid to impose an illegitimate leadership on the workers.”*
“Failure to comply will compel the Congress to initiate unprecedented measures in defense of workers’ and trade union rights,” the NLC said.
It further stated that in addition to discussing important issues affecting Nigerian workers and the broader public, the NEC conference in Owerri was held in part to launch compressed natural gas (CNG) bus services in the Southeast.
According to the NLC, it also looked at the deteriorating socioeconomic circumstances brought on by government policies that have caused Nigerians to experience previously unheard-of levels of misery and exacerbated the nation’s survival dilemma.
The NLC also voiced serious concerns about the ongoing cash shortage that is affecting business operations in the nation, calling it a regrettable and exploitative burden on the already impoverished people. The NLC claims that every time Nigerians access cash, they are compelled to forfeit 5% of their money, which is an intolerable circumstance that makes millions of people’s financial problems worse.
It called on the federal government to immediately intervene to rectify this systemic failure and protect citizens’ financial rights.
The union emphasized that the primary aim of taxation is to generate revenue for running the government, adding that the justification of any tax system lies in its impact on the lives of the people.
The NLC noted that discussions on taxation in a serious nation cannot exclude those who bear the brunt of the tax burden.
