The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Benue State, Reverend Akpen Leva, on Thursday posited that in the near future Nigerians may not need the Labour unions to negotiate industrial actions.
Leva made the remark while delivering his speech at the interdenominational Church service organised by CAN in collaboration with Benue State government in Makurdi to mark Nigeria’s 60th independence celebration.
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The cleric appeared displeased with the outcome of the negotiation between the Federal Government and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as well as the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over recent increment in price of fuel and electricity tariffs which led the unions to shelve their planned strike.
“I want to be prophetic that in the near future Nigerians may not need NLC or TUC to negotiate for a strike. Nigerians may be forced to unconsciously come to the streets demanding for better conditions of living.
“In Benue State, the issue has affected most families, thus making almost all citizens to become casualties either directly or indirectly through family members,” he said.
The CAN chairman who lamented unprovoked attacks on people of the state which had rendered many homeless further called on the federal government to urgently redeem its promise of resettling the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with N10 billion, stressing that even the amount cannot in any way settle the IDPs but can only cushion the effect of their sufferings.
Wants CAMA repealed
He added that as much as Nigeria has remained together in spite of the numerous challenges, there are policies introduced by the federal government which in is estimation continued to threaten the security and corporate existence of the nation.
“This is a deviation from what our forefathers who fought for the independence of our nation stood for. Their concern was not only for the sovereignty of the nation but also for the unity of the nation. This is why we hasten to call on the federal government to avoid anything capable of encouraging hatred and bringing disunity particularly through unpopular policies.
“It is our belief that a listening government does what the people want and this strengthens the unity of the state even if it is fragile. Even as we want to put behind other issues that looked divisive in nature which have affected us as a people, particularly Benue State, I want to call on the federal government to abort in the interest of peaceful coexistence, the Company and Allied Matters Act, CAMA.
“As far as I am concerned, CAMA is an unpopular policy that will do us no good but rather, threaten the security and unity of this nation. We strongly Oppose CAMA and call on the federal government to repeal the law or remove the anti people aspects of the law. As it is the law targets the church in Nigeria and as a spiritual thing, it cannot be regulated outside the spiritual realm,” Leva maintained.
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