…asks citizens, NLC to reject FG’s fraudulent palliatives
By Godspower Eguasa
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has empathized with citizens and residents in Edo State and Nigeria at large, on the economic hardship facing the country, stating the commitment of the sum of N500 million to cater for the welfare of indigent residents in the state.
Obaseki who urged residents in the country and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to reject the fraudulent palliatives by the federal government, noted that the palliative measure is aimed at enriching private pockets and not the welfare of the common man.
Obaseki said: “Dear comrades, I want to thank you for this peaceful protest which you have carried out this morning. I am thanking you because you have heeded the call of security agencies that your protest should be peaceful.
“You have every right as citizens of Nigeria to protest any issue that you are not happy about. So, you are acting within your constitutional right.
“You recall on May Day this year, I warned that we are likely to face the conditions and situations we are seeing today, and I advised you in that speech that you should not wait, you should be proactive; you should be ahead of the game. But we are where we are today.
“I want to let you know that in Edo State, we are labour-friendly. Did we not increase minimum wage? Was the situation as bad as this then? No. The reason is that we know that workers are suffering and we had to do something about it”.
Obaseki who urged workers and residents to reject the palliatives by the federal government also decried the economic situation befalling the country, noting that the state will continue to take proactive measures in prioritizing the welfare of every worker and resident, just as it did with the increased minimum wage for workers in the state.
Obaseki said: “We know that your take-home pay can no longer take you home; something must be done. We in Edo State support your action, that your wages must reflect the current reality.
“I also want to alert you that you should reject the so-called palliatives they want to give you. It is a continuation of the fraud that the federal government has always undertaken against the people of Nigeria. We have local governments; the so-called money for palliatives should be given to the local governments to take care of the people at the local governments.
“We must stop this palliative fraud. The federal government has no business buying grains and giving contracts at exorbitant prices to buy palliatives for the people across the 774 local governments in Nigeria.”
Obaseki while emphasizing the state government’s determination to alleviate the pains and hardship being currently borne by residents in the state as a result of the fuel subsidy removal by the federal government, noted that the sum of 500 million naira has been earmarked by Edo State Government to cater for the poorest of the poor in the state on a monthly basis, going forward.
In his address, the Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the NLC, Chief Odion Olaye (JP) who led the protest, lamented the deteriorating state of the country, explaining that the nationwide demonstration is in line with NLC’s objective to defend and fight for the welfare and well-being of workers and residents in the country.
Olaye said: “Your Excellency, the Executive Governor of Edo State, Comrade Nogheghase Obaseki; today, why we call you comrade is because you are a labour-friendly Governor.
“Mr. Governor, we members of the Nigeria Labour Congress are here today to register our protest before you. This protest is a nationwide protest. We were supposed to go on an indefinite strike a month ago, but the federal government took us to court and restrained us.
“After then, we gave them another one-week ultimatum to go back to status quo so that we can start discussing the issue of the removal of fuel subsidy, yet they did not. The fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria has caused hardship not only to the Nigerian workers but the entire citizens of Nigeria.
“We can no longer go to the market to buy things as before. If you buy fuel of N10,000 in your vehicle today, you can only manage to go to your place of work and come back.”
Olaye while commending the developmental strides of Governor Godwin Obaseki and his unwavering commitment to the welfare of workers in the state, urged federal government’s immediate intervention on workers’s welfare and ensuring the operationalization of refineries built in different parts of the country, including the modular refineries in Edo State.
He said: “We also want to thank you Mr. Governor. If you had not said that workers in Edo State should be coming to the office three days in a week, we would not have been making it to work. Today, we are saying, the President of the nation, Bola Ahmed Tinubu should allow Nigerian citizens to breathe.
“We want the three refineries in Nigeria to be fixed so that we can refine our crude oil and sell for ourselves at a meagre amount. And at the same time, there are modular refineries in the state; we want him to also give licenses to them so that they can refine crude oil and sell it to the people of Nigeria.”
“Now that they have increased fuel prices by 300%, we also want them to increase workers’ salaries by 300%”, Olaye added.
