IMF Trying To Destabilise Nigeria — NLC President Exposes
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) president, Joe Ajaero, has stated that the removal of fuel subsidy by the President Bola Tinubu-led government was influenced by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to destabilise Nigeria.
Ajaero made the comments on Friday evening while speaking on X space hosted by SaharaReporters, titled, “Economic Hardship: Ajaero to discuss living wage, the NLC and what next.”
He said the IMF advisory was why he had been vehemently against the subsidy removal because he knew it would affect the common Nigerians.
He said, “IMF and World Bank are trying to destabilise this country through a removal of subsidy by advising the Nigerian government and whether in public space or privately, I have kicked against it.”
He revealed further that the issues of Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) and others confronting tertiary education in the country were among NLC struggles and would form the centre of their forthcoming rally.
He continued: “Of all the meetings we’ve had with the Federal Government, the issue of ASUU and tertiary unions was in the front runner and was part of our agreement.
“On issue of even the students and the school fees, those are some of the banners we have printed for this rally. It is at the centre of what we are fighting. And bear in mind that these children are children of the workers, especially those in public school. It is only the workers that can take their children abroad or private school.”
It was earlier reported that Ajaero said the labour union was determined to embark on the planned nationwide hunger protest across the country on February 27 and 28.
Asked of the specific challenges facing Nigerians that necessitated the declaration of the two-day nationwide protest and the position of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Ajaero had listed the high cost of food items, cement, transport, amongst others, which according to him were orchestrated by removal of fuel subsidy.
He had said, “Clearly speaking, TUC has never been part of the action from conception. The only warning signal was the TUC coming out to say they are not part of it, even when we didn’t say they are part of it.
“For them to have gone further to deduce some letters disassociating themselves and leaking it to the media. Such statements were unprovoked. Their letter coming the same day the DSS sent a letter to us, warning us to shelve the protest, gives course to odd.
“The NLC at its National Executive Council last Friday, resolved to have a two-day protest on the cost of living on the high sea faced by Nigerians, and by implication, workers, to make their (NLC) position known, not just to the government but to every Nigerian.”
