Following the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal government’s refusal to allow Nigerian workers to use the usual national May Day parade ground; Eagle Square Abuja, for this year’s Workers’ Day commemoration, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has scheduled to use the streets of Abuja as the venue of the event.
NLC General Secretary, Comrade Emmanuel Ugboaja, had earlier informed journalists that the FCT minister sent on Thursday, a withdrawal letter to the Congress through his administration’s agency. The Minister in the letter explained that the withdrawal was because of the preparations for the May 29 inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, at Eagle Square.
NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), however, expressed disappointment at the Federal government’s refusal for workers to use Eagle Square for the global event, saying that the refusal is evident to the government’s total disregard for those who toil day and night to provide the resource government survivals on.
In the words of NLC GS; “They have withdrawn the permission and don’t want to talk to us. The FCT Minister has withdrawn our permission, and clearly, he is speaking for his government.
“It means the government does not want to address the workers, so they do not appreciate the work the workers have put in over the years, and we will not fail to appreciate ourselves.
“They claimed to be renovating the Eagle Square for usage on May 29, and we will find it to be ultra lame. This is not the first inauguration. We have had over five to seven inaugurations in the past two decades and always held Mayday in Eagle Square.
“Workers should be prepared for the worst. The vindicators do not point towards any rosy future if we do not struggle. So it will be a war cry on May 1st, for us to brace up to take the challenges we see coming forward.”
Then in a letter to its affiliates on the use of streets in Abuja for the venue of the May Day celebration and parade, Comrade Ugboaja in a letter said;
“As you must have been aware of the last-minute questionable action of the Government at the centre to deny us the use of the Eagle Square for this year’s May Day celebrations three days before the event despite having granted us the permit months ago.
Do remember that this is a venue we have been using in the past decades for our May Day celebrations. The sudden decision to withdraw the permit may be laden with mischief and actually a sign of what is to come in the near future.
“It is a call to all of us to be prepared. As a result of this unfortunate development, we want to inform you that we have decided to shift the venue for the celebration to the Streets of Abuja so that we can deepen our reconnection with the people who are our true partners in the struggle for a free society.
“Takeoff point shall be at the National Headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by 8:00 AM. All affiliates are to assemble on the grounds of the Paschal Bafyau Labour House on Monday the 1 shall p st of May from where we proceed on a rally around Abuja.”
Reacting to the withdrawal of the permit to use Eagle Square for May Day commemoration, TUCPresident, Comrade Festus Osifo, told journalists; We receive a letter from an agency of the FCT ministry, saying that the Eagle Square will not be available for us to use the May Day parade on Monday. We are surprised the excuse they gave was that they are renovating Eagle Square for May 29 handover, and since 1999 we have always had our May Day parade while they still do the handover 28 days after.
May 1st is four weeks away from handover, but our government is telling us that political considerations are much more important than the issues of workers. You can see the kind of country we are. They are saying that the people that are behind those GDP numbers, the people who toil day or night to ensure that Nigeria as a country is not a failed state as predicted by so many international agencies are being relegated to the background.
“We wish to inform them that we reject this completely. They’ve asked us to go to the Old Parade Ground, we are not going. If they are not affording us the place that we have been using for this event, they should go away with it, at the appropriate time where we answer them.
“This is not right. This is not correct. The issues of workers should be prioritized. Four weeks is sufficient for them to do whatsoever renovations innovation or preparations that is required for the presidential inauguration.”
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