The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has rejected the agreement reached by the Nigerian labour leaders and the Federal Government in its totality, says it does not address the major grievances of Nigerians, nor reflect the interest of the vast majority of the population.
The group while addressing a press conference in Kaduna Tuesday said, “it demand the unification of the electricity tariffs between the North and the South which must also be affordable”.
CNG in the text of their briefing read by the spokesperson Suleiman Abdullazeez, saying that they will resist the deregulation of the downstream oil sector and insist on the immediate, unconditional and total reversal of the fuel and electricity tariffs to their former states before the increase.
He added that they will liase with other credible sections of the civil society to work for the creation of a stronger alternative, or parallel platform for pursuing national grievances.
” We will direct all CNG state chapters to intensify outreach with all sections of the civil society, credible Non-governmental organizations and prepare every significant component of the northern society for a massive protest on a date to be announced soon, to force the reversal of this, and all other harsh economic policies pursued by the government.
“To publicly condemn the labour union leaders for betraying the trust of the public by compromising the expectations of the general population of Nigerians”, he stated.
Also speaking on the agreement reached by the labour leaders and the Federal government, that the entire palliative package by the government does not reflect the overall interest of the mass of suffering Nigerians outside the fold of the NLC and TUC which collectively accounts for only about 0.5% of the total national population.
“The package merely offers temporary relief to a minor section of the population with the vast majority condemned to suffer the harsh realities perpetually, as prohibitive fuel prices inadvertently reflect on other commodities.
“This capitulation by the labour leadership signals the need for the formation of an alternative unified, more confident, and consistent national front for undertaking further autonomous actions outside the workers’ unions”, he said.
According to him, “Nigerians today need to hear the truth, they should be told that they have leaders who have lost the energy and courage to work to solve our basic socio-cultural problems, our regressing economy or address our precarious future; leaders who prefer to leave the bulk of Nigerians in poverty, fighting each other, so that they can continue to manipulate us during elections.
“They Senate and House of Representatives in particular, are today occupied by people poorly-prepared and ill-equipped, except for their ambitions for power and fantastic wealth, while abandoning the people at the mercy of armed crime and unforgiveable poverty.