The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has advised the federal government against extending the current lockdown order on COVID-19.
In a letter addressed to the chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, the NLC said the Nigerian economy might relapse into prolonged coma if the current lockdown in the nation’s nerve centres goes beyond the current extension.
The letter which was signed by the NLC president, Mr. Ayba Wabba, also warned that further extension might cause social unrest in the affected states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“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,” said the NLC.
On palliatives, the NLC called for an improvement in the distribution system through increased stakeholders’ participation.
“Mass-based organisations such as labour has the grassroots presence, especially at wards and units, and can ensure that palliatives get to those who really need them – the poorest of the poor who cannot afford a meal per day. We posit that using the old platform will not deliver the desired result.
“The most critical need of the poorest of the poor among us is to beat hunger. Government palliatives should be tailored in a way that guarantees poor Nigerians, especially daily income earners at least two daily meals. Thus, we call for an expansion of the national social register to capture individual Nigerian workers who do not live with their families,” it said.
The NLC also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to include other social partners on the inter-ministerial economic response of the pandemic.
“Beyond the threat of COVID-19 to health and life, there are also very real threats to livelihood. Jobs are under threat. Many employees are finding it difficult to source money to keep workers at work and sustain the production lines. It has been projected that the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 would ripple on, at least, for the next two years.
“Many countries around the world are mobilising resources to deal with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many governments have set up COVID-19 response teams devoted to economic and income recovery. Governments are also engaging with organised labour to find a human faced approach to dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic,” it stated.
