The Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) has called for the peaceful conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the country come Saturday.
Rising from its first inaugural meeting on Monday in Abuja, the National Administrative Council NAC of the NLC; directed workers and all Nigerians to come out en mass to perform their civic duty by voting in the coming elections as well as taking all necessary steps to safeguard their votes.
A statement signed by the NLC President, Joseph Ajaero, said that “NAC warned that the disruption of the electoral process by parties, politicians or their aids or privies or by whoever will not be acceptable to it or the generality of Nigerians who have invested their time and resources.
“NAC called upon the security agencies to guarantee the safety of voters, observers, INEC officials and all those associated with conducting free, fair and credible elections across the country during the elections.
NAC similarly urged INEC to ensure that the electoral processes are not only transparent and fair but reflect the wishes of voters”.
Ajaero said that the Nigeria Labour Congress together with what he called other dispassionate organisations or individuals can not afford to be indifferent or passive in the forthcoming elections and strongly warned those with sinister agenda to steer clear.
On the currency redesign policy by federal government, the NAC while noting that although the battle for the currency notes has since shifted to the Supreme Court however, urged the Central Bank of Nigeria and Commercial Banks to take all steps necessary to ensure the availability of appropriate currency notes to the citizenry.
The NAC also deliberated on the state of workers’ welfare in Abia State in South east Nigeria where it said that workers were owed six months salary, the Council said that, “furtherance to the decision of the National Executive Council (NEC) to take all lawfully necessary actions to compel the Abia State Government to pay the over six months salary arrears/allowances of workers and unpaid pension benefits, the NAC resolved to direct all the affiliate unions to commence mobilisation for the action in Abia State at the end of the 14-day ultimatum given to the government which ends on Friday, February 24, 2023.
Other issues discussed and agreement reached include to hold State Council elections across the 36 States and Federal Capital Territory not later than March 7 2023 and the 2023 Workers’ Day celebration to hold in Abuja.
Olusola Akintonde
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