Sale of national assets: NLC prepares for nationwide protest

President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, while addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday described the proposed decision of the government to sell off national assets as reckless auctioning of the nation’s commonwealth to a bunch of capitalists and associates of the government.

Wabba, said if the dialogue with the government to stop the sale of national assets failed, it would mobilise its members all over the country to embark on a nationwide protest adding that the Congress is also considering the option of dragging the Federal Government to court.

He also said:
“The Panama Papers leaks which up till now have not been investigated, in other states, it has been investigated and the veracity of the allegation has also been proved. “I think because certain individuals who are also now canvassing the sale of our national assets may be reason these issues have not investigated. We demand that those issues must continue to be investigated.

“Therefore, transferring our commonwealth to the ownership of a few will further impoverish all of us. I think it is high time even for government to try to take stock of all enterprises that have been privatised before now and what is their state.

“What comes to mind is the power sector, which was privatised for over three years now. I am sure that all of us will agree that no value was added, instead they have been exploited.

“We have been paying bills that cannot be justified. Even to provide meters have nearly been difficult even with the pronouncement by the court that they reverse the tariff, it has certainly not received any attention.”

Wabba said that it made no sense to sell off the national assest due to the previous privatisation programmes which were embarked on in the past that failed.

He said:
“These are clear avenues where such instances have been used to undermine our commonwealth and also few people have actually taken over those very strategic assets. “We are, therefore, restating our position that we are opposed to the sale of those strategic assets in whatever guise in order to try to address the challenges in the economic.

“We say this very patriotically, and we say this with the best of intention.

I think the consequences would be more dangerous if we don’t take necessary steps now to protect those important national assets. It would also not serve any public good if those assets found themselves in the hands of a few.

Source: Vanguard