By Danielle Lobito
Mrs Ganiat Fawehinmi, Mohammed and Saheed Fawehinmi, Femi Falana, Femi Aborisade and other activists engaged in a protest against fuel subsidy removal and exorbitant tuition fees at Lagos State University.
The Federal Government of Nigeria increased the cost of fuel the following day from N65 per litre to N141 per litre, on January 1st. The masses and civil society organisations have held rallies across the country including the Joint Action Front. Some Nigerians in Britain held a protest in London last Friday. During the Ilorin protest; a protester Muideen Folorunsho Mustapha was allegedly murdered by the Nigerian police.
From Monday January 9th, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) will begin indefinite strike that may paralyse activities in Nigeria. It may be better for people to do their shopping today and tomorrow in order to avoid shortage of food and other household commodities. A luta continua!
NIGERIANS SHOULD IGNORE ANY BLACK MARKET INJUNCTION
—NLC Press Statement
There are rumours circulating that the desperate Jonathan administration has purchased a black market injunction possibly from the National Industrial Court (NIC). The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is not aware of any such injunction, we were not served any paper of court appearance, we were not present in court nor were we represented in any capacity. Also, the NLC was not served any court summons nor were we served any court order.
—Nigeria Labour Congress
Lawyers Caution Labour against Defying Court Order
—ThisDay
On his part, solicitor to the labour unions, Mr. Femi Falana, said his clients had not been served the injunction and that when this is done, he would advise his client appropriately.
“The order should be produced. They never served us any court order. I have not seen it and when I see it, I’ll advise my client appropriately,” he said.
NDDC Threatens NLC
The Niger Delta Democratic Coalition (NDDC) supports fuel hike simply because President Goodluck Badluck Jonathan is from the Niger Delta. NDDC has threatened to set-up 'over one million' youths thugs against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), if NLC decides to carry out a protest in the Niger Delta on Monday. Maybe the National Assembly should review the money paid to Niger Delta ex-militants. It is unfair since they are not the only group of deprived people in the country.
Nevertheless, some of their people are living in poverty with deadly oil spillage here and there, regardless of having Niger Delta Ministry that gulps billions of Naira annually. Other ethnic groups do not have ministries that are specially allocated for their needs. The House of Representatives approved N261.04 billion for the 2012 budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission. Yearly, there is hardly any improvement in the region.
There is nothing democratic about the Niger Delta Democratic Coalition. Some political parties and organisations hide under the cloak of democracy. It should be called Niger Delta Demonic Coalition like the ruling Peoples Democratic Party Peoples Demonic Party.
Hired Groups Beg NLC
Different groups pleaded with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on TV. They shamelessly told NLC not to go on strike on Monday. Some of them are youth groups that should have opposed the removal of fuel subsidy. By their ‘hungry’ mouths we shall know them. How much were they paid for the propaganda?
Most of them did not look like people that could afford the increment. The government tool of propaganda NTAi showed the fuel price increase in Ghana but did not say that the Ghanaian government increased the cost of fuel by 30% while the Nigerian government increased fuel cost by 116%.
There is better electricity supply in Ghana than Nigeria. Ghanaians are not in constant darkness like their Nigerian counterparts and they have more confidence in their President. The shameless groups should leave NLC alone. One of them even went to the NLC secretariat in order to convince NLC to stop the strike.
Fuel subsidy removal: Labour declares war • Indefinite strike starts Monday • Lawyers, civil society groups join
Fawehinmi’s family, Falana hold rally against obnoxious tuition fees in LASU
Give Us Our Son – Subsidy Protest Victim’s Family Tells FG
Crack in NBA over strike
Diane Abbott: Time To Stop Tweeting?
Ed Miliband needs to ask himself, is he a man or a mouse?
He needs to get rid of her.
I really don't know why he won't sack her. Maybe he's just too weak to take her on.
These comments are an insult to thousands of taxi drivers but she seems to just get away with it.
—Steve McNamara
What is 'wrong' with 58 year old Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott? A few days after she apologised for her ‘divide and rule’ comment; she tweeted another comment on London cab drivers. Must she tweet? A lot of people are not on twitter by choice. Couldn’t she have read a book or watched a film rather than commit another blunder? A Member of Parliament should be 'natural' and not be caught in racist gaffes.
How does she expect the white people in her constituency to feel? Is she fed up of her job as the Shadow Minister for Public Health? ‘Unbelievable!’ Right now, she is behaving like a ‘scared cow’ or ‘spoilt’ member of the British Labour Party. A lot of people are wondering how she could allow years of hard work to be tarnished by comments. It may be time for her to stop tweeting.
Diane Abbott may not be the only Labour MP that needs to stop tweeting… The leader of the Labour Party Ed Miliband ‘earned’ nicknames such as ‘Potato Ed’ and ‘Block Ed’ for his twitter gaffe. He sent a tweet on the ‘game show legend Bob Holness’ who died at 83.
Holness used to present Blockbusters on TV but Ed Miliband tweeted ‘Blackbusters’ and made a lot of people laugh. According to The Sun, ‘Panicking Labour officials swiftly deleted the tweet, but were too late to stop it going global'. Nobody is perfect but when you are not sure of something, it is better to leave it out…
The hypocrisy of Diane Abbott, an expert in 'divide and rule' if ever there was one
Nick Clegg: Diane Abbott 'has been stupid and crass'
‘Blackbusters’ tweet as TV quiz legend dies, 83
Diane Abbott in new row
Work for a white Conservative: What Abbott told Tory-voting graduate who asked for a job
