By Obi Blessing
President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has charged Nigerians to learn to protest in demand for their rights as government has taken them for granted for too long.
Ajaero said this in the Congress’s message to mark Nigeria’s 64th independence.
Authored by himself, the message in oart reads; “On the ocassion of Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary celebration, we congratulate all Nigerians, especially workers for their sacrifice, resilience or robust spirit in spite of serial acts of betrayal of monumental proportions by the political leadership at various times and levels.
“We urge the downtrodden Nigerians who bear the marks or burden of these broken promises, exploitation and corruption to not give up hope on their country.
“In light of the fact that their sacrifice has been taken for granted for so long, they should learn to protest within the limits of the law against injustices and subversion of democratic norms, culture and values by the dominant political elite.
“It should be apparent to the citizenry that the leading political elite are not ready to do the right thing except they are compelled to do so.
“In the same vein, we would like to sound a note of caution to our political elite whose pre-occupation is to circumvent the principles and practice of popular democracy that undermining of our democratic institutions can no longer be business as usual.
“The consequences of their acts of commission or omission brought us this far. It is time to turn a new leaf. Let it be the beginning of a new law.”
