YOU PROMISED TO CREATE 1 MILLION JOBS YEARLY, BUT 4 MILLION JOBS GONE
“Those suggestions are disgraceful and portray them as enemies of the state”, TUC said in a statement by Chairman and Secretary, Bobboi Kaigama and Simeso Amachree.
“These two sectors drive economies all over the world except in our dear country. Aviation is Ethiopia’s cashcow. Likewise so in countries blessed with oil and gas. Nigerian Textile Mill (NTM), Nigerian News Print, Oko Buku, Daily Times Newspaper, Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria Ltd., Ikot Abasi, etc. were sold, yet they have not been functioning well till date. We expect the advocates of sale of our other assets to know better.
“In addition, these are critical assets which expectedly should be bequeathed to generations unborn. It is our thinking that if those clamouring for the sales pay their appropriate taxes there would be enough money to bring the country out of the woods without sacrificing our national assets”, TUC said.
While appreciating the concern of some sincere people in government, especially President Muhammadu Buhari who is working tirelessly to fix the economy, TUC said it is worried when people suggest sales of assets like NLNG which provided the money for the bailout of states when they could not pay salaries.
“ And on what grounds? Just because the toilets and air-conditioners are not functioning well? Would these people sell off their houses simply because the toilets and air-conditioners are faulty? If they would not, why are they pushing for sale of the few national assts we have left?
“In case those canvassing for the sale have forgotten, it is imperative that they realise that this administration promised to create a minimum of three million jobs yearly. Unfortunately, instead of generation of more jobs, no less than four million jobs have been lost in the last one and half years, a development that has led to serious security issues”, TUC said.
According to TUC, all over the world the oil and gas and aviation industries are viable ventures if well managed. “We demand that ministers and lawmakers should justify the humongous sums of money they earn by making pro-people policies and proffer ways out of the recession. The Congress will mobilise and resist any further sale or concession of our national assets under whatever guise”, the TUC said.
