Thousands of workers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress yesterday held rallies in different parts of the country to muster support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
In Abuja, the workers trekked from the Unity Fountain near the Transcorp Hilton Hotel to the National Assembly around 11:00am with placards to declare their preparedness to support the president.
“The fight against corruption is a must”, “Let us fight to kill corruption before its kill us”, some of the placards read.
NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, declared support for the anti-corruption crusade, saying: “We, Nigerian workers throughout the federation under the auspices of the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, want to express our collective resolution that we are solidly behind the president in the fight against corruption.
“It is common knowledge that corruption has taken a negative effect on Nigerians and if we don’t use the opportunity of government’s readiness to collectively tackle it, it will kill us”.
He urged the National Assembly to make laws that would assist in the crusade.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, represented by Sen. Francis Alimikhena of Edo South, said the National Assembly will complement efforts of the executive in that regard.
In Lagos, workers, accompanied by some youth movements and civil society groups, staged a similar rally with placards urging Nigerians to support the government.
The chairman, Lagos State chapter of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Akeem Hakeem, noted that corruption takes many forms including embezzlement, bribery, rituals, rigging of elections and others.
“In fact, corruption is mostly pronounced in the Nigerian political system and public sector. The belief is that once a person occupies any position, be it the smallest, they will use corrupt practices to enrich themselves,” he said.
Receiving the workers’ letter on behalf of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, lauded the unions for their effort to eradicate vices in the country.
In Kano chairman of the state chapter of the NLC Kabiru Ado Minjibir, said during a visit to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, that the future of the country could only be promising when corruption is wiped out.
The NLC officials, who went to various places including the state House of Assembly, Government House, EFCC and ICPC, called for capital punishment for corruption.
In his remarks, Ganduje expressed his willingness to get the message across to the relevant authorities, saying fighting corruption is a priority of his administration.
Similar rally was held in Bauchi where the Deputy governor Engineer Nuhu Gidado addressed members of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC). He assured them that the government will be alive to its responsibility.
