The Youth Bureau and the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations yesterday urged organised labour to shelve its proposed strike.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its 16-point agreement with the workers since October 2023.
The group said the proposed strike would do more damage than good to the economy and welfare of Nigerians, which the Labour is fighting for.
At a town hall meeting organised by the Youth Bureau (TYB), in conjunction with the Coalitions of Civil Society and Socio-Economic Stakeholders in Lagos, the convener, Comrade Razak Olokoba, said the state of the nation should be objectively examined in an atmosphere devoid of rancour and with a mindset free from political, ethnic, sectional and religious biases.
He said Nigeria, like other countries in the world, is faced with severe economic challenges that call for concerted efforts to fathom what needs to be done to mitigate the challenging times.
He said: “We are concerned about the vulnerability of our people due to the hard times, but we are not also unconscious of the fact that some interests, who have no other business but to play politics with our economic plight and lives for reasons other than national interest, are on the prowl to take advantage of the situation.
“We want to use this occasion to call on organised labour to shelve their threat of strike, as this will do more harm than good to the health of Nigerians and the economy that they are fighting for.
“While we do not begrudge them for exercising their right to strike, which is unlawful and a last resort under the industrial relations system, we charge them to rethink that weapon of struggle that has become monotonous to the ears of the average Nigerian, who now sees it as a blackmail tool that is not in their collective interest.
“We must agree that ordinary Nigerians are more interested in more constructive, result-oriented engagements to ameliorate their economic condition and living standards.”
An activist, Comrade Alexta Wilcox, said nine months in the life of an administration were too short to right the wrong done to the economy.
To curb food insecurity and inflation, he called on state governments to invest hugely in agriculture and encourage farmers.
Southwest governors urged to set up security trust fund
A group, Alliance of Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), has urged governors of Southwest states to set up a regional security trust fund to address insecurity in the zone.
It said the fund should be managed by non-state actors selected by each of the six states in the Southwest.
AYDM made this known in a statement issued yesterday and signed by its General Secretary, Mr. Popoola Ajayi.
It is an alliance of over 130 pan-Yoruba and community based groups in largely Yoruba territories, including Kwara, Kogi, Akoko Edo and Itsekiri part of Delta State.
AYDM said it estimates that Southwest states should realise no fewer than N100billion in the first six months of its launch.
It said no state in the Southwest could resolve insecurity without networking with others in the region.
Ajayi said the funds should be raised from contributions of state governments,
corporate organisations, Yoruba in the diaspora, individuals, professionals and artisan groups living in the Southwest.
“There are about 60 million people in the Southwest. Every adult from the age of 18 living in the Southwest should be encouraged to contribute a minimum of N500 to the fund. This will be invested in providing necessary material and training for Amotekun, while creating and building a strong Intelligence Bureau that will tackle crime in the region,” AYDM said.
It said part of the fund should be used to set up security posts at the boundaries across the region and also establish a training school in intelligence and counter-intelligence, adding that it would aid the ability of the region to prevent crime before and not after the acts had been committed.
The group said Southwest is the most industrialised in Nigeria and continues to witness mass migration of people fleeing from other parts of Nigeria, the Magreb and even Sudan, who see the region as economic haven.
It said it is concerned about the rising menace of kidnapping and other violent criminal activities in Yorubaland and the occupation of arable land by armed groups.
AYDM urges Southwest governors to take proactive measures in securing the region by establishing Regional Security Trust Fund.
