The National protest declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC to send home its grievances over the five month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU in Nigeria has kicked off in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city this Wednesday.
TODAY IS MOTHER OF THE PROTEST RALLY TO GET OUR CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL.
CONVERGENCE POINT : UNITY FOUNTAIN ABUJA @ 7A.M#EnoughIsEnough #EndASUUStrike
— Nigeria Labour Congress HQ (@NLCHeadquarters) July 27, 2022
Tagged Mega Rally, the 36 States in the country on Tuesday, simultaneously observed theirs yesterday Tuesday.
THE PROTEST RALLY TO GET OUR CHILDREN BACK TO SCHOOL HOLDS TODAY IN ALL STATE OF THE FEDERATION. TAKING OFF POINT , NLC STATE SECRETARIAT@ 8A.M
ABUJA RALLY HOLDS TOMORROW WEDNESDAY @ 8A.M#ENOUGHISENOUGH#GETOURCHILDRENBACKTOSCHOOL
— Nigeria Labour Congress HQ (@NLCHeadquarters) July 26, 2022
Read Also: ASUU Strike: Nigeria Labour Congress Begins Nationwide Protest On Tuesday
Apart from ASUU, all the other unions in the public Universities like the Non Academic Staff Union NASU, the Senior Staff Union of Nigerian Universities SSANU and the National Association of Academic Technologists NAAT are all on strike meaning that all the students in these schools have been idling away at home.
At these rallies from across the States and the “Mega”, holding in Abuja, NLC is staying that enough is enough.
Workers in their thousands, converged on the Unity Fountain Abuja, already assuming the position of a rallying ground to be addressed by the NLC President and other union leaders before the peaceful match to their destinations.
NLC President Ayuba Wabba while addressing them, reminded them that it was a peaceful protest and should remain so.
According to him “the federal government has been paying lip service to education and the welfare of workers in the tertiary institutions.
“Those at the helm of affairs today in this country were beneficiaries of a thriving education sector in the past as the enjoyed free and quality education”.
The NLC President dismissed what he called the insinuations by the government that the protest will disturb the peace of the nation.
Speaking in an interview in Uyo, the Akwa-Ibom State capital in South-south Nigeria, on the side line of the on going 18th NLC Rain School on Monday, Ayuba Wabba, said the protest became necessary after other interventions by the leadership of the NLC to the government to end the now over five months industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU and other unions in the universities failed.
NLC has also threatened to embark on a three-day warning strike if the protest fails to yield the expected result.
“We have taken three levels of decision. First is the protest which is going to be national. After the protest, a three days national warning strike will kick in, and if they fail to resolve the issues and bring back our kids to school, we go on an indefinite strike.
“That is the decision of our National Executive Council, and what will be helpful for them is to check the timeline we have given for them to resolve the issues. We are optimistic that they will be willing this time because we are also willing to get our children back to school,” Wabba said.
