The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that there would be total shutdown of the economy if its members are attacked by state sponsored ‘thugs’.
TheHintsNews reports that the labour union had fixed February 27 and 28 to protest against the hardship in the land.
However, the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero in a statement issued Sunday said the workers would not be intimidated, saying they would go ahead with the planned protest.
He informed Nigerians that the State had perfected plans to attack their peaceful rallies across the country.
Ajaero added that one of the groups being primed to attack the peaceful rallies is by a nebulous name, Nigeria Civil Society Forum (NCSF).
He alleged that NCSF waa one of the emergency groups put together, funded, promoted and remote-controlled by the government to cause violence against its members for electing to peacefully protest against the hunger in the land.
Ajaero noted that the solution to the horrible economic situation and hunger is not by suppressing peaceful dissent or inflicting violence on peacefully protesting citizens as the government did in Minna and other cities where its agents tear-gassed and beat up women before locking them up for raising their voice against hunger.
He stressed that It does not lie in the deployment of State -sponsored terror, adding that the pangs of hunger cannot be cowed by bullets or tear gas.
Ajaero said: “In light of this, we at the Nigeria Labour Congress and civil society allies are moving ahead with our protest rallies against economic hardship and insecurity in line with the decision of the National Executive Council.
“As citizens, we have a fundamental right to peaceful protest and history bears us witness that our protests are always peaceful except in instances of State-engineered violence.
“In light of this, we advise the State to put on its thinking cap and find solutions to the pains it continues to cause the people instead of further dehumanising them.
“However, if it is irrevocably set on the path of violence against us and other peace-loving Nigerians, it will be making a costly mistake because if we are attacked there will be a total shut down via withdrawal of services by workers. Let no one be deceived, we and other deprived Nigerians cannot easily be intimidated.”