Organised labour celebrating the International workers’ day every May, 1st across the country have said the only way to reclaim back the country which has been gripped by various security challenges is to be serious with security votes.
They say the the phrase’ Security is a secret business’ is now worn, and want security votes be routed through the normal budgetary process for proper oversight and accountability.
Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) and Trade Union Congress(TUC), talking on the backdrop of the security challenges which has besieged the country overtime, to commemorate the 2021 May Day said, part of the Challenge of Unemployment and Insecurity is the crisis of poor Governance
“It is unfortunate and terrible injustice to the memory of Nigeria’s founding father’s that virtually every part of the country has been engulfed by one form of security challenges or the other.
“In the North East, there is the challenge of Book Haram terrorism. In the North West, there is the challenge of rural banditry and Kidnap-for-ransom. In the North Central, there is the challenge of farmers and pastoralist clashes’.
In the South South, armed Militants still operate in the Mangroves engaged in all manner of economic sabotage. In the south west and South East, local Militias are fillingbthe vacuum created by the absence of the state and are heating up the polity with ethno- religious rhetoric”.
“To reclaim our country, we must be serious with security vote. Security Votes should be routed through the normal budgetary process for proper oversight and accountability. Security is a collective task.
We reiterate our call for improved Social protection and investments in social services to deal with human insecurity which is the bane of physical Insecurity”. they reiterated.
The labour who are worried said that, workers are mostly the ones affected as they are the major target.
“So many teachers, health workers, Agricultural and Food Chain workers have been either Kidnapped or Killed”.
They although appreciated the efforts of the Armed forces, but asked for Nigerian Security apparatus to do more in reclaiming back the country from its known enemies of peace.
“We reclaim a country where people can travel from Zamfara to Katsina without looking over their shoulders for fear of kidnappers, a country where Nigerians travel by train from Abuja to Kaduna as a matter of choice not as a consequence of the imposition of the will of kidnappers.
We must reclaim a country where pastoralist and farmers live in peace with one another under the umbrella of justice. We must reclaim a Nigeria where Militancy in Nigeria becomes history as a result of the overflow of the tributes of socio- economic justice”.
This years Worker’s Day celebration, which was marked in low key due to the enormous challenges faced by the country, according to the group has its theme” Covid-19,Social and Economic Crises: Challenges for Decent Work, Social Protection and Peoples Welfare”.
