As Nigerian workers markede this year’s May Day, the Federal Government has been advised to tackle the security problems facing the country.
In his May Day speech in Abuja on Tuesday, NLC President Abdulwahed Omar said the congress condemned the senseless killings and destruction of property going in the country.
Speaking on the theme of the celebration, ``Right to Work, Food and Education: Panacea to Insecurity,’’ Omar said that since 2011 May Day, the spate of bombings in the country had escalated.
``Since the last May Day, the escalation of the Boko Haram threat has manifested in several bombings and attacks across the country, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives.
``We have unequivocally condemned these senseless violence and destruction.
``We are nevertheless convinced that the ease with which terrorist ideologues are able to recruit foot soldiers to carry out their nefarious acts must be seriously addressed, if terrorism is to be made a thing of the past. ’
The NLC president said that the terrorist ideologues were able to recruit willing and daring foot soldiers with ease because of deeply rooted and decaying social conditions in the nation.
He pointed out that joblessness, hunger, poverty, lack of electricity; illiteracy and lack of access to education were among the decaying social conditions responsible for the current insecurity in the country.
``All these, among other things, are creating a social dilemma among youths thus making them easy prey.
``Government policies need to be underscored and guided by the acceptance that its citizens have a right to work, a right to food, a right to education, right to electricity .
``Only in this will we be able to tackle the fundamental crisis of insecurity in our country. ’’
Similarly, the Trade Union Congress President, Mr Peter Esele, in his address, said that lack of basic social needs of the people would always result in violence and bloodletting in a country.
``When jobs, housing and basic education are not secure, access to basic education and basic medical care is not guaranteed, the logical consequences become, the spate of bombings, the bloodletting and the overflow of the blood of innocent Nigerians on the streets of Nigeria.
Esele stressed that the failure of past governments to address the concrete and foundational issues confronting the ordinary Nigerian citizen over the years had led to this unfortunate passe.
``The citizens have therefore found these avenues as routes for expressing their discontent both with their poor existential conditions and the politics that have produced it.
``The security challenges have led this nation inexorably to the point where our co-existence as diverse entities within a nation state has become seriously questioned and challenged.
``We do not only condemn the perpetrators of the bombings going on in the country, we also condemn those who have come out to ride on the tide of this to call for certain negotiations.’’
The TUC president called on all Nigerians to work together as a nation to put a stop to the present crisis which could lead to anarchy and chaos and said that it was worrisome that some people had chosen to play politics with the ongoing spate of bombings and wanton destruction of lives and properties.
``This is why we call upon our politicians to rein in their appetite for power and stop this war against Nigeria and its people.
``They must make conscious efforts to open up the political space, allowing broader participation of all in the governance of the nation and showing increasing tolerance and patience for opposing views and dissent.
``The Federal Government must also see this insecurity as a great opportunity to redress the various foundational challenges confronting the ordinary citizen, rather than as an opportunity to arm the security agencies the more.
He stressed that the major weapons that was needed to confront Boko Haram was openness in government.
Esele said allowing access of all to quality education and the deliberate creation of greater safety nets to the most vulnerable groups within the nation would also put an end to some of these challenges.
``Government is about people, it should therefore be brought closer to the people and the present rush to abdicate responsibilities in the guise of PPP and outright privatisation should be reconsidered and mediated so that the people can win.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the celebration was attended by many affiliates of the labour unions across the country
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Once in the history of United States of America we had a President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who when he came along the USA was coming out of a great economic depression ....the president FDR put people, the masses to work doing public works, building roads, building bridges, damming rivers to generate electricity and all forms of public projects to the betterment of the whole society. The masses eagerly did this work for whatever meager wages at the time could be afforded them....Nigeria should consider some efforts like those of the USA under FDR...spread what revenues you have around the country and make each state participate...you may not put everyone to work right away but many will work and the country, Nigeria, will prosper and thisngs will get better overall....Nigerians need to take pride in Nigeria and look at the fellow man as their brother and all working for each other for the same goals ..long live Nigeria
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