The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has urged the Federal Government to fast-track the establishment of state police, saying political concerns should not be allowed to prolong Nigerians’ suffering from insecurity.
TUC President-General, Festus Osifo, made the call yesterday in Abuja while addressing journalists on economic and social issues affecting Nigerian workers.
Osifo said politicians constitute less than 0.1 per cent of the country’s population and should not stand in the way of security measures that would benefit the remaining majority. He urged the government to work with the National Assembly to fast-track the constitutional and legislative processes required, and to secure states’ support for the proposed legislation.
‘Nigeria is in a state of war today. When a nation is not secure, you cannot start talking about building hospitals, building roads,’ he said, calling for deployment of technology and modern equipment to complement security efforts.
On the economy, Osifo said improved macroeconomic indicators had not sufficiently translated into relief for workers. He described the naira, trading around N1,380 to the dollar, as still undervalued against a fair value of N900 to N1,000, saying a stronger exchange rate would eventually ease inflation and market prices.
He opposed halting food importation until insecurity is resolved and farmers can safely return to their farms.
On aviation, Osifo backed the ongoing strike by unions including the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association over alleged anti-union practices and non-remittance of a five per cent ticket charge owed to workers, put at about N25b. He urged airlines to resolve the dispute.
Osifo called for private-sector participation in refinery management, with government retaining a maximum 49 per cent equity, to reduce political interference in commercial decisions.
He commended the Department of State Services (DSS) for recent arrests of suspected terrorists and bandits, praising the Federal Government’s 50 to 80 per cent salary increase for military personnel, while calling for similar improvements for other Nigerian workers.