Extension of Lockdown will Fuel Unrest, NLC Warns

TRACKING______The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Wednesday warned of likely social unrest if the current lockdown imposed on some states to curb the spread of COVID-19 is further extended.

It faulted the palliatives being provided by the federal government to the poor, urging for an expansion of the social register to cover most Nigerians affected by the pandemic.

In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Mr. Boss Mustapha, NLC said that the stimulus package should be in consultation with other social partners.

The letter, dated April 14, 2020 and signed by NLC President, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, also warned that the extension of the lockdown beyond one month may trigger social unrest.

Wabba urged the federal government to consider how Nigerians are coping with the lockdown before taking any decision on the issue.

“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,” he said.