…Demands Release of Detained Labour Activist, Slams FG Over Unpaid Wage Awards
By Muhammad B. Muhammad
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has lashed out at the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing it of worsening the economic hardship faced by Nigerians through what he described as a “hasty and thoughtless” removal of fuel subsidy on the very day of inauguration.
In a strongly worded statement, Atiku said the removal of subsidy triggered “an economic avalanche” that has buried the average Nigerian “under the weight of inflation, hunger, and despair.” He criticised the Tinubu administration for failing to manage the crisis it created, pointing out that the promised wage awards to federal civil servants were only partially fulfilled.
“At the very least, the government owes federal workers four months of unpaid wage awards, amounting to N140,000 per person. It took the administration 10 months to arrive at a new minimum wage, yet the promises made to cushion the effects of subsidy removal have become broken covenants,” he stated.
The former Vice President also condemned what he described as a rising culture of repression and disregard for civil liberties. He cited the recent arrest of Comrade Andrew Uche Emelieze, a labour activist detained for planning a peaceful protest over unpaid wage awards. “His continued detention is an affront to democracy and a slap in the face of every Nigerian worker,” Atiku said.
He called for the immediate and unconditional release of the activist and warned that Nigerian workers would not be silenced or intimidated. “The economic hardship is real, the hunger is biting, and the government has a duty to act — not repress,” Atiku declared.
Sahel Reporters News
