Labour, Civil Society Groups Boycott Protest In Rivers

The much-publicized nationwide  protest by Organised labour and Civil Society Organisations over high  prices of foodstuffs and poverty  in the country under the current administration could not hold in Port Harcourt, the  Rivers State capital, as the  Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Nigeria  congress (ULC) an civil societies groups boycotted  the protest rally.
Speaking to The Tide, in  Port Harcourt yesterday, the NLC champerson,  Comrade Beatrice Itubo, said that the leadership of the congress in the State received  no notification from the  NLC’s National headquarters directing the State chapter  to embark on the protest in Port Harcourt yesterday.
Itubo said she cannot mobilise  the NLC and its affiliate  unions out on a protest rally when the  National Leadership of the Congress has not communicated her  or  directed  that she should mobilise   workers out on a protest rally.
She explained that the organised labdour protest  was only meant to take place in Abuja and Lagos at this  initial  stage.
The Labour leader  said the congress supports the NLC National Leadership on the fight for better  workers welfare   and against the deteriorating  living  standards  of Nigerians under the present  administration.
Also speaking to The Tide, the State chairman United  Labour  Congress  (NLC), Comrade Addah Williams  said that  ULC members in the State  are not part of the protest in the State.
Williams said NLC members are totally against the organised  habour protest as government  needed time to formulate better policies to better  the  lives of Nigerians.
The Tide was reliably informed  that  members of the civil societies also boycotted the protest rally and rather organised sensitization  programme  in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on  the clean-up  of Ogoni at the  office of  Human  Rights and Humanitarian Law, Rukpowu, in Obio/Akpor Local Council.

Philip Okparaji