Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has urged labour leaders in
the country to protect the interests of Nigerians, especially their
members against government’s anti-people policies, saying; “Labour
leaders must not allow the welfare of the people to be compromised.”

Governor Fayose, who was speaking against the backdrop of the plan by
the federal government to increase petrol pump price from N87 to N97
per litre, remove fuel subsidy, increase electricity tariffs, retrench thousands of workers, reduce N18, 000 minimum wage, introduce toll
gate, among others, said; “If labour leaders do not stand up for the
people at this time as they have done in the past, posterity will not
forgive them.”

In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday by his Special Assistant
on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose
said he was particularly worried over the silence of labour leaders on
the two months fuel scarcity in the country, which the federal
government appeared not to have any ready solution to.

The governor, who reminded the labour leaders of how they led their
members to protest when fuel price was increased by the Dr Goodluck
Jonathan administration in 2012, added that; “No matter the political
party in government, labours unions must stand by their members in
particular and the people in general.”

He said; “When they were seeking for votes from Nigerians, they
promised to reduce petrol pump price to from N87 to N45 per litre,
they promised to create three million jobs per year, they said $1 will
be equal to N1 and above all, they promised to pay unemployed youths
N5,000 stipend and provide one meal a day to pupils nationwide.

“However, thousands of Nigerians have lost their jobs in the last six
months, while millions of jobs are to be lost next year, particularly
in the construction sector and banking sector where mergers and
acquisitions of banks have become imminent.
Even the federal government that promised three million employments
per year is already sacking workers with over 2,000 university workers
retrenched.
Most importantly, President Mohammadu Buhari himself is telling
Nigerians to prepare for hardships in year 2016, with no effort being
made by the federal government to mitigate the effects of the
impending hardships”, Fayose said.

“He advised the labour movement to be prepared to stand up for the
people by making sure that the welfare of the workers is not compromised by the government.

While maintaining that democracy was being threatened under the APC
government of President Buhari, Governor Fayose said “a lot of
infringements are being done to our democratic process and all lovers
of democracy must be worried, especially about the inconclusive
elections held under the present government.”