ABUJA – THE leadership of the he organised labour and their civil society allies, yesterday protested in Abuja, demanding that the Federal Government should make known the identities of those that looted the common wealth and also asked that their hands should be cut off to serve as deterrent.
The protest organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, alongside their Civil Societies allies, also lamented that nothing so much had been achieved in the fight against corruption.
Displaying placards of different descriptions, the labour leaders said that the level of hardship in the country had risen to an alarming proportions and that workers were the worst hit of the current recession and thereby demanded for an increase in the minimum wage.
They also disclosed that they would soon drag some of the state governors to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, for the alleged diversion of bail-out funds recently released by the Federal Government for the payment of workers salaries, arrears, pensions and gratuity.
Addressing the workers during the protest rally for good governance at the Unity Fountain, Abuja, President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said it was unfortunate that a few Individuals have stolen the nation’s common wealth, while nothing had been done to bring them to book.
Wabba said government must take concrete steps to prove to the world that it was serious to win the fight against corruption and recover all stolen money, stressing that the nation lost about $22 billion not remitted to the federation account from sale of oil and gas.
Advising the government to come hard on the looters of the nation’s treasury, Wabba said, said: “We must not allow a situation where few, because of their interest will hold the system to ransom.
“We are demanding increase in electricity supply and they are saying lag more tariff, we are demanding increase in minimum wage and they say they are going to be paying in percentage. We should not be tired.
“Why should somebody steal one billion naira and walk the street free. We are demanding that they should be named and shamed. We are also demanding that one of their hand be cut off so that when we see them, we will know that they are people that has stolen our money.
“So, let us not be tired. Not to pay salaries and pensions is criminal. Not to increase our wages in this condition is corruption and so, we must demand good governance and support the fight against corruption.
“It is obvious that what we are doing today is in our collect interest. As working class and our families and as Nigerians, we must always make our voice know and heard very clearly.
“Today, with what is happening in our system, we are actually at the receiving end because there is near absence of good governance and corruption is also fighting back very badly and we have been at the receiving end. Instead of addressing those challenges and paying salaries, what the are doing in some states is paying salaries in percentages.
“The height of this challenge is the absence of good governance, accountability, transparency and the rule of law, any system that does not have those ingredients, the first group that will suffer is the working class and their families and the citizens.
“That is why we are matching to canvass for good governance and also to lend our voice to saying that the fight against corruption must continue. If you look at the NEITI report, it states clearly that unremitted fund from the sale of oil and gas amount to another 22 billion dollars.
“If we have these money, I am sure that the challenge we are passing through would not have been there. Few people connive to transfer this money into their personal account and we are saying tau government must find the will to implement these reports and who ever is affected must be made to refund the money.
“We should not be lamenting always that there is no money and that the economy is in recession. Enough of lamentation and we must take our destiny in our own hands to demand for accountability, good governance and transparency and workers must not be made to be at the relieving end.
“The demand for minimum wage is legitimate. Governors are collecting more than maximum wage. They were given bail out fund which they diverted; they were given Paris Club refund which they also diverted and yet we have pensioners not being paid for about 77 months. Is that an attribute of good governance?
“We must therefore lend our voice to these challenges because if we keep quite. We will be consumed. We must struggle because he who is on the ground is not afraid of falling again.
“There should be good governance at all levels of governance and not limited to the centre alone. Wee have more challenges in the states and local government and so, it is our fight because it is an issue that affects all of us and we must continue to be united.”
Also speaking, the President of TUC, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama said efforts must be made to end corruption in the country as well as promote good governance. He said,
“We must end corruption in this country and support good governance. It is only in Nigerian that corrupt people are being celebrated.
“We want to tell the world that we are insisting that corruption must be fought to a stand still. Those people who are aiding and abating corruption should be prepared for the wrath of Nigerians.if you escort criminals to court, we will follow you there and disgrace you.
“Today, we have to show our displeasure because it is only the Nigeria. Worker and the down trodden that are suffering. Their pay is not increased, while we have daily increase in inflation and recession because of the stolen wealth that has not been redistributed to Nigerians.
“We have so much corruption in the states and local to the extent that bail out fund given to them will be diverted.
We are going to follow them with EFCC and ICPC to make sure that those diverting our bail out fund meant for the payment of salaries, pension and arrears of promotion must be dealt with. We have said it time and time again that we are prepared to fight those in government who are involved in corrupt practices.
“There is the need to also take the protest match to the National Assembly since corruption cannot be fought only on the part of the executive; we would take it to the doorsteps of the legislatures and to that of the judiciary.
“Concerning the minimum wage, we already have the demands before now and we presented same.
Even the United States of America, when Obama came into the office, the minimum wage of Americans then was five dollars per hour; he raised it to ten dollars per hour.
“In fact, there is an agitation to $15 per hour. In Switzerland, it is $18 per hour. Our demand is N 56, 000. Anywhere in the world, you would never have it on a platter of gold until you struggled.
“South Africans struggled and liberate themselves. Nigerians and workers must continue to struggle to liberate ourselves. It is not easy to address government, employers of labour and the bourgeois class. Ours is a case that we continue to push till victory is certain.”
