Angry Demonstrators Smash Through National Assembly Gate to Enter Building (Video)
On Wednesday morning, protesters from the Organized Labour, who are calling for a review of the President Bola Tinubu administration’s “anti-people” policies, tore down the first gate of the National Assembly (NASS) complex and pushed their way inside.
Senators reportedly attended a closed-door meeting as the demonstrators went to the Assembly Complex’s second gate.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, as well as other states of the Federation, including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo, organized labor, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and their affiliate unions, today began a protest.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Unity Fountain, from which point they marched to the NASS Complex.
Before today’s screening of ministerial nominees, Senate President Godswill Akpabio is anticipated to address the demonstrators.
At the Unity Fountain, NLC President Joe Ajaero said to Channels Television that “nothing is stopping the protest, not even an overture from the government.”
According to him, the Organized Labour will not end the demonstration until the desired reaction from the administration has been received.
“Whether the protest will be from today, or tomorrow, or next, or until thy kingdom come, it is not by using force,” Ajaero claimed, “will be determined by the response from the states.”
The protester explained, “We are here to make a statement that since we started negotiating, there is nothing we can do.
Recall that President Tinubu eliminated the gasoline subsidy during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, causing the price of a litre of gasoline to soar from N184 to over N620 and food costs to soar at an unprecedented rate.
The NLC gave the Federal Government a seven-day deadline last week and demanded that “all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government, including the recent hike in PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) price, increase in public school fees, and the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers,” be immediately reversed.
The union also called for an increase in the minimum salary from N30,000 to N200,000, claiming that since the President’s “subsidy is gone” inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, Nigerians have lost their sense of security.
Numerous talks between the Presidency and the unions to discuss relief measures for Nigerians experiencing hardship as a result of the elimination of the gasoline subsidy were unsuccessful.
