ASUU Strike: No Going Back on Planned Protest – NLC
By Ozumi Abdul
In reaction to the federal government’s plea to shelve its planned protest in solidarity with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said the protest will go on.
The Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige had told the leadership of the congress at a meeting in Abuja that a report by the Department of State Services (DSS) strongly warned against the protest scheduled for next Tuesday.
NLC President Ayuba Wabba, in a statement yesterday, reiterated that there was no going back on the protest.
Read Also:
Wabba, who was reacting to an earlier warning against the strike by Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said it was in consonance with democratic norms and rule of law.
The NLC, in a statement, said: ”It’s elementary knowledge that the right to peaceful assembly and protest is a fundamental global right guaranteed by the UN Charter on Human and Peoples right and the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. All peaceful assemblies are lawful and do not require any permission under our laws. In a democratic society, such a statement is not consistent with the rule of law.
“It (protest) is not a solidarity protest, NLC is directly involved in the current dispute in our university system. All the four trade unions involved are affiliates of NLC.
“Secondly, as citizens, our children have been out of school for 5 months, the majority are children of the working class and the less privileged, this alone should call for urgent action.”
