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… Governor Diri Calls for Restoration of the Value of Naira
By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Against the backdrop of excruciating pains Nigerians have been thrown into by the policies of the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government, a large gathering of members of the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress took to the major streets of Yenagoa to protest over the economic hardship being experienced across the country.
The protesting workers embarked on the peaceful march along the Lambert Eradiri Drive, through the Melford Okilo Road, terminating at the Government House at Onopa in Yenagoa to press home their demands.
Our correspondent reports that the police and other security agencies were on ground to ensure a hitch free protest, to avoid miscreants infiltrating the march.
The “hungry, angry and protesting” workers, who united under the aegis of the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, chant solidarity songs and carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Politicians, let the Poor Breath,’ ‘End Hunger and Poverty, We Reject IMF Policies,’ ‘Stop the High Cost of Living in Nigeria,’ ‘Federal Government Make Our Refineries Work Again,’ ‘Fund Our Public Schools,’ among others.
In an address, chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Barnabas Simon, said the ailing economy occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy and spike in exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar had made life unbearable for workers and the ordinary citizens.
Mr. Simon noted that the spiraling inflation in basic food, goods and services had made survival a Herculean task for many families not only Bayelsa State, but the entire country, as the suffering is no respecter of any tribe and religion.
Receiving the protesters in front of Government House, Governor Douye Diri commended them for their peaceful conduct during the protest.
Diri, who stated that the President would not deliberately inflict hardship on Nigerians, said the solution lies in fixing the economy and restoring the value of the Naira.
The governor said he would consult with the state’s Head of the Civil Service and the leadership of Labour to work out palliatives for the workers in the state to cushion the effect of the high cost of living on them.
