The
police are currently repressing the mass protests by polytechnics and colleges
of education lecturers and students including ERC in Abuja with tear gas and hot
water cannon. The protest march had earlier stopped at Ministries of Education
and Labour and on the way to the National Assembly when it was heavily
repressed.
The police at the behest of the government attacked
the democratic rights of the protesters in order to prevent them from getting
to their (government) “citadel of democracy”.
Incidentally, two days from now President
Jonathan and other anti-worker politicians clad in borrowed trade union attires
will be at May Day taking salute from the workers whose rights they have
suppressed.
In protest against this assault on democratic
rights of workers and students the ERC calls on NLC and TUC to withdraw the May
Day invitation they might have sent to the President and top government functionaries.
One
of the highlights this May Day should be a protest and demand on government to
implement agreements with ASUP and COEASU so that polytechnic and colleges of
education can be reopened. Polytechnics and Colleges of Education have
been shut down for 11 months and 3 months respectively as a result of the
failure of the government to implement agreement with ASUP and COEASU.
No comments:
Post a Comment