The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has called on the Federal Government to provide a resilient base for sustainable development for the wellbeing of all Nigerians regardless of ethnic and religious orientation in the country.
Mr. Ayuba Wabba, NLC President, made the call in a message to workers and Nigerians at the country’s 60th Independence Anniversary with the theme, “Together” on Thursday in Abuja.
Wabba also said that the journey of Nigeria’s nationhood could not be complete without citing the timeless and great contribution of the Nigerian working class in the liberation and developmental struggle for the nation.
“Being together after 60 years of independence despite being through very tumultuous moments in our national life, including experiencing a very bloody civil war is certainly something to celebrate.
“But being ‘together’ must’ve got a stronger value than mere physical co-existence and enforced tolerance of ourselves. At 60 years, we must confer a bigger value to our being together.
“Our togetherness amounts to nothing if we’re not tapping from the wealth of knowledge, experience and cultural diversity of the Nigerian people.
“Our being together amounts to nothing if the rich intellectual resource of our people isn’t applied to solving key developmental issues.
“Our togetherness might as well be a liability if we fail to use the political process to achieve national consensus on the Nigeria of our dream,” he said.
Wabba added “It’s sad that at 60 years, our political leaders still prefer to send their children to schools abroad and treat themselves in foreign hospitals since our public schools and hospitals have been so terribly mismanaged.
“Truly, the message Nigerians, especially workers, get when our political leaders say that we’re together is that we’re together to the extent of baking the national cake.”
