- By Femi Alabi
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has told the Department of State Service, DSS, not to blackmail and lie against members of the workforce, noting that the organised labour cannot do anything that would compromise the sovereignty of the country.
NLC is also worried about the new role that the secret service is assuming, asking DSS when they got the position of the spokesperson of the government.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in response to the earlier statement issued by the DSS where it advised the organised labour to shelve the planned peaceful protest queried that if the Service is aware that some elements are planning to use the opportunity of the protest to foment crisis, why have they not executed the arrest of these elements.
The statement reads: “We are concerned by the unsolicited advice of the Department of State Security to shelve our planned protest against the unprecedented high cost of living in spite of the indescribable suffering in the land, spiraling inflation, deepening poverty and the Naira at an exchange rate of N1,900 to the US Dollar.
“According to the Service, the planned protest should be shelved “in the interest of peace and public order”, pre-supposing that the action is intended to be violent and disruptive even when we have a history of peaceful protests.
“More worrying is the new role the Service has assigned to itself, the chief spokesperson of the government. According to the Service, “It is common knowledge that all levels of Government are striving to ameliorate the prevailing economic condition and as such, should be given a benefit of the doubt, So far, appropriate authorities are working assiduously with a spectrum of stakeholders to fashion out modalities to address the current difficulties”.
“We are equally intrigued by the innuendos of the Service, their philosophy of “peace” and wild allegations and we want to reassure them that no one loves this country more than us and on our honour, we would never do anything that will compromise its sovereignty or security.
“Having said this, we would not have ourselves blackmailed or lied against by the Service. Our protest is a peaceful one against the unpardonable cost of living of which the unserviced personnel of the Service are also victims. We cannot fold our hands and pretend all is well. That will be a grievous conspiracy that history will not forgive.”