The Nigeria Labour Congress has called on the Federal Government not to
extend the lockdown order on COVID-19, warning that doing so might cause
social unrest in the affected states and the Federal Capital Territory.
In
a letter addressed to the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on
COVID-19 and dater April 14, 2020, which was signed by the NLC
president, Ayuba Wabba, the union also frowned at the method employed by
the FG in the distribution of the palliative measure, calling for the
expansion of the initiative to all Nigerians affected by the pandemic.
The
union said, “While we understand the public health imperatives for
extending the lockdown in some parts of the country, it is also very
important to underscore the fact that the states currently under total
lockdown are the economic and administrative nerve centres of Nigeria.
“This
is very dicey. As much as it is important to keep many Nigerians from
dying in the hands of coronavirus, loss of income and the accompanying
destitution can also be a pathfinder for numerous other sicknesses and
deaths. This is the time to play the balancing game.
“The truth
is that our economy might relapse into prolonged coma if the current
lockdown in the nation’s nerve centres goes beyond the current
extension.
“There were widespread acts of civil disobedience,
inducement of law enforcement agents to gain passes and even various
forms of violent crimes.
“No one is sure how long this dam would hold. We fear that the situation will get out of hand if the lockdown exceeds one month.
“While
we commend government for being proactive, we opine that the stimulus
package would be best served through consultation with social partners.
“Labour and private sector employers have a good understanding of industries where jobs and production are in most danger.”
