In compliance to the directive by the NLC President for people to protest the current economic hardship, hundreds of protesters led by the Nigerian Labour Congress Plateau State chapter on Tuesday filed out into the streets of Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Krestnews reports that the protesters that gathered at the Secretariat Flyover bridge lamented the economic hardship and insecurity being faced by Nigerians in the state and other parts of the country.
Describing the situation as unbearable, the protesters called on the Federal Government to act quickly and save Nigerians from further suffering, demanding also an end to the security challenge in the country.
The state Chairman of the NLC, Eugene Mangji, who led the protests said, “We are not happy, Nigerians are not happy over the situation in the country that has brought untold hardship and suffering of the citizens which started immediately after the removal of the oil subsidy.
” It started as a joke and suddenly, the price of petrol which was initially sold at N197 jumped to N530 and then to N670. Today, petrol is sold at more than N700.
“Imagine that we are not up to one year in the life of this present administration and Nigerians are experiencing this kind of thing. The exchange rate has also gone to almost N2,000 per dollar and since everything is dependent on the exchange rate, prices of goods and services have also gone up beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians. Even the students in higher institutions are not finding it easy at all.
“Nigerians are crying over the situation and we are not left out as Labour and we are calling on the Federal Government to arrest the ugly situation quickly, including the security challenge before they get out of control.”
Krestnews.com further reports that there are heavy presence of policemen and other security agents during the ongoing protest to forestall any breakdown of law and order.