2012 BUDGET: Prepare for general strike, mass protest -NLC tells Nigerians

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) declared, on Wednesday, that the non-provision of fuel subsidy in the 2012 budget is not only tragic, but also a declaration of war on the people of Nigeria.
To this end, the NLC told workers and other Nigerians to begin preparations for a general strike and mass protest, adding that Nigerians would have no choice but to confront the challenge.
In a statement entitled: “The 2012 Budget: A Disaster Waiting To Happen!” and signed by the NLC Acting General Secretary, Comrade Owei Lakemfa, the congress stated that Nigerians would have no alternative but to resist.
“We call on all Nigerian workers and people to begin preparations for a general strike and mass protests. The people must be prepared in the next few weeks when the Jonathan administration begins to implement his anti-Nigerian policy. Nigerians should prepare to occupy the streets and public institutions to prevent them from being taken over by anti-patriotic forces,” the congress said.
Against this background, the NLC leadership will meet on Tuesday, December 20, to firm up strategies and give directive on the commencement of the protest and the resolve of workers and other Nigerians to reclaim their country.
The statement said: “A critical perusal of the 2012 budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday [Tuesday] showed clearly that the present government has no intention to lead the country out of the present socio-economic crisis. The budget, which was tagged ‘Budget of Fiscal Consolidation, Inclusive Growth and Job Creation’, is actually an anti-people budget designed purely in the service of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) and their local lackeys who dictate to the Nigerian government. It is a disaster waiting to happen.
“In particular, the exclusion of fuel subsidy in the budget is not only tragic, but also a declaration of war on the Nigerian people. Thus, the Nigerian people will have no choice but to confront this challenge.
“This further attempt to impoverish workers and the Nigerian poor is coming on the heels of increased tariff on electricity, the move to massively sack workers in the name of merging parastatal agencies, the attempt to collect more taxes through the return of tollgates, the refusal to adequately fund education, and refusal to pay minimum wage, which is an impeachable offence.
“Despite the country’s security challenges, it is curious that the Jonathan government has allocated a massive lion’s share of the budget to security. In the first instance, the major cause of the increasing wave of insecurity in Nigeria is lack of education and mass unemployment, which are direct consequences of the general collapse of public infrastructure, such as public electricity, roads, education, health, etc. The security challenges are further compounded by lack of political will and abysmal ineptitude of security agencies.