Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, expressed his sadness on Friday about how the tough economic conditions in Nigeria have led to Nigerians scavenging for a living.
Ajaero made this statement at the 11th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria in Abuja on Friday.
There have been numerous reports of attacks and looting of warehouses and food trucks in many cities due to the hardship and the cost of living crisis in the country.
Last week, some young people stole food items from trucks stuck in traffic along Kaduna Road in the Suleja area of Niger State.
The attackers overpowered the truck drivers and stole many bags of rice before they were dispersed by soldiers.
On Sunday, the Agricultural and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration confirmed that some residents in the FCT looted its warehouse in Dei-Dei due to the economic hardship in the country.
However, Ajaero pointed out that the government must keep its promises and responsibilities to Nigerians, instead of ignoring the plea of the people.
The NLC president said, "Food has become so scarce that Nigerians have resorted to raiding food trucks and warehouses for food. If those in government cannot see the danger in what is happening, we see it and must ensure that the government fulfils its duties to the people.
"We are increasingly going hungry in our father’s land and cannot continue in this destitution. The greatest unifier and mobiliser of people is hunger. It insults common sense when those in government assume that somebody is sponsoring people who are protesting because of hunger.
He noted that recent lootings by Nigerians were caused by government policies which may escalate if nothing was done to address the issue.
"If anybody is arousing the people, it is those in government whose policies have impoverished the people and stripped them of those values that make them human beings.
"The looting of food trucks and warehouses is what you get when this happens. Unless something is done, this may unfortunately escalate. We pray it does not.
"Those who therefore think that they can stop us from this divine mission with their threats and violence should think twice. We cannot be cowed. We cannot surrender our natural mandate to powers and agents of poverty and emasculation. We are not after anybody’s job but we must insist that the instruments of governance must be used for the greater good of the people and not to wreck their lives," Ajaero stated.
Meanwhile, the union urged the FG to remove impediments on healthcare workers’ paths to migrating to greener pastures.
Ajaero said that the removal of the impediments was imperative due to the unfortunate socio-economic situation confronting workers and, indeed, the masses in the country.
The Acting National President of MHWUN, Dr Kabiru Minjibir, said that the issue of japa syndrome was a painful aspect of the Nigerian health sector.
Minjibir mentioned that a lot of medical workers were dedicated to making sacrifices to serve their country even though the low pay and inefficient system in the country were humiliating.
