"What we are demanding is not for NLC nor TUC but for all Nigerians."
HActivities at the state and local government secretariats in Abia were paralysed on Wednesday because of the nationwide protests by organised labour.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reporters, who monitored the exercise in the state, said only a few workers were seen loitering around the state secretariat.
At the Umuahia North Local Government secretariat, all the offices were locked, but some security guards and a few council workers were seen within the premises.
Also, banks in Umuahia were not open, while markets, shops and motor parks were open for business.
A few commercial vehicle operators, including tricycle and commuter bus operators, were seen on the roads.
'Let the poor breathe'
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) led a large crowd of workers on a protest march along major roads in Umuahia.
The protesters, escorted by a team of anti-riot police operatives, marched from Michael Okpara Square to the Government House.
They carried banners and placards with different inscriptions, chanting solidarity songs.
Some of the placards read: "Give workers what is due", "All Nigerian lives must matter", and "Stop importation of petrol, revive the refineries now".
All the banners were themed, "Let the poor breathe".
Aba protest
NAN reports that the situation was virtually the same in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State.
A check around the city by a NAN reporter showed that while a few banks were open, many others did not.
In a speech at the Government House, the state Chairperson of NLC, Pascal Nweke, said the workers were protesting against the high cost of living caused by the petrol subsidy removal.
Mr Nweke said it was not directed at the state government but to demand a reversal of some of the harsh effects of some Federal Government policies.
"What we are demanding is not for NLC nor TUC, but for all Nigerians. And if nothing is done, we resort to the other action, which is strike," he said.
Also, the TUC state Chairperson, Ihechi Enogwe, said they were protecting and speaking for the Nigerian people, including workers, traders, artisans and everybody in the country.
Mr Enogwe said: "The people are suffering, and they need a government that will liberate them from this level of poverty.
"We, therefore, call on the Federal Government and all the parastatals that are involved in the policy-making to come to our aid."
Addressing the protesters, Governor Alex Otti praised them for their peaceful conduct.
The governor, represented by his Chief of Staff, Caleb Ajagba, said every Nigerian alive appreciated the situation "all of us have found ourselves in".
According to Mr Ajagba, "It is your lawful duty and inalienable right to protest what you considered unjust policy from the government".
Owerri protest
In Imo, the protesters converged on the popular Assumpta Catholic Cathedral Roundabout near Control Post, Owerri.
They displayed placards with inscriptions such as "Let Nigerians breathe", "Fuel price increase suffocating the poor", and "Naira devaluation killing local industries and jobs".
NAN reports that the large crowd of protesters was guarded by security operatives.
Speaking, the acting Chairperson of the NLC in Imo, George Ogoegbu, appealed to the Federal Government to rescind its recent economic policies, fix the refineries, pay university workers their eight months' salary arrears, reduce VAT and abolish the hike in the fees for unity colleges and tertiary institutions.
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"We urge the president to keep faith with the agreement entered by the Federal Government, NLC and TUC.
"We cannot continue to suffer; let the poor masses breathe.
"Nigerian workers are one of the least paid in the world. We cannot fuel our vehicles. The cost of living is alarming, and we can no longer continue this way," Mr Ogoegbu said.
Also, the Secretary of the TUC in the state, Benjamin Ezekwe, questioned the motive behind the removal of fuel subsidy without concrete plans to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians.
Mr Ezekwe urged the Federal Government to swing into action with its palliatives without further delay.
"The long wait for a remedy since 39 May has become exhausting," he said.
(NAN)
