COVID-19: Food crisis looms – NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress has raised the alarm that food crisis looms in the country, alleging restricted movement of foodstuffs at various checkpoints contrary to President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive.

Labour urged security operatives at different checkpoints to respect and adhere to the directives of Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces who had ordered the free movement of foodstuff across the country.

The Labour-Civil Society Situation Room on COVID19, in a statement jointly signed by NLC President Ayuba Wabba and his Trade Union Congress counterpart, Quadri Olaleye ”we do not want to start dealing with “Hunger-20,” labour warned.

• Covid-19 predicted to push 250m people into acute hunger by year end
• ‘School closures deprive 370m children of school meals’

It also alleged that health workers were being infected with coronavirus owing to the absence of specialized and continuous training on effective management of COVID19 and support for the system.

It sought special isolation centres for infected healthcare workers as well as standardization of all isolation and treatment centres in the country.

The labour also urged the government to look into the opportunities of the pandemic as an avenue to diversify the economy.

“This is the time to re-think our economic strategy.

“We posit that the current economic crisis which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic is as a result of gross mismanagement of the Nigerian economy by successive governments.”