Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) president, Ayuba Wabba, has said that the workers’ union will embark on a three-day nationwide strike if the Federal Government doesn’t yield to the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
NLC’s scheduled warning protest for Tuesday and Wednesday has already kick-started in Lagos and Abuja.
Wabba, who spoke in an interview with Channels TV stated that the workers’ union embarked on a two-day protest against the ongoing ASUU strike not just as a show of solidarity, but because the strike directly affected the NLC.
He said, “The two-day warning strike is to call for attention for the issues to be resolved promptly. The next level is a three-day national warning strike if nothing has happened after the protest, to show our grievances.
“We are not on a solidarity action, we are affected directly.”
Wabba noted that the ongoing protest was a democratic norm that was constitutional and supported by the international charters, and and added that it was not illegal to carry out such demonstrations on the streets.
He said, “These are democratic norms everywhere in the world. Even as an individual, you have the right to air your grievances.
“It is within the provision of our law. It is backed by the United Nations charter for human and peoples rights, African charter for human and peoples rights, and it is there in our constitution — sections 39 and 40.”
The Nigeria police had warned NLC not to embark on the protest unless it get clearance from the police or any authority to carry out protests.
In its reaction, the NLC president, posited that the court has given a pronouncement that citizens do not need permission from the police or any authority to carry out protests.
According to him, staging a peaceful protest and legal and within one’s fundamental human rights.
He said, “Even the court has pronounced that you don’t require any permission. It is legal and within your fundamental human rights to protest issues.
“When people say it’s illegal, I think people should remember that no condition is permanent. We have had some of our current politicians join the NLC to press for similar actions in the past.”