By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
The Cross River State council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and 19 other organizations have kicked against the August 1, 2020 protest, which they said might bring misfortune to the state.
Others are the National Association of Nigerian Students, National Council of Women Societies, Council of Indigenous Youths of Cross River State, as well as market unions in the state.
The Cross River NLC chairman, Comrade Gregory Olayi, vowed that he and his members will not participate in the street protest so that the economic situation of the state would not get worsened.
NLC chairman made the vow at a press briefing which took place at Metropolitan Hotel on Wednesday in Calabar.
Okayi stated that the NLC and workers in the state would not participate in the protest.
He said, “As a labour leader, and NLC chairman, I want to use my secretariat as a case study, the building you are seeing is a shadow of itself.
“The last #EndSARS destroyed everything, the fans, the roof, even the rails on the walkway were all vandalized.
“We cannot afford to have such happen in Cross River State again. As NLC chairman, on behalf of workers of Cross River State, if you want to come out tomorrow, which we are not part of, please do it.
“Let it not be a violent protest, because as workers, we are not coming out to protest tomorrow in Cross River State because we know what we have passed through.”
Other trade unions who lend their voices against the planned protest include, the Cross River State branch of the Unified Commercial Drivers Association, headed by Mr. Nta Effiom-Henshaw, the state council of the National council of Women Society of Nigeria, and the Majori Asuquo Society Network
Also speaking, the Coalition of Civil Societies Networks, Dr. Mac Faland Eka, stated that about N8.7 billion was required to fix the Dr. Lawrence Memorial Hospital destroyed during the 2020 #EndSARS protest.
He said, “We cannot use our hands to destroy what we have over the years.”
