….urges media not to give publicity to anti-democratic forces
The Organised Labour in Nigeria has strongly condemned the planned protests scheduled to hold on Monday (August 5, 2019) by some groups under the guise of revolution, saying that the protest is undemocratic and a calculated attempt to trigger chaos and disunity in the country.
A frontline labour leader in the country, Comrade Issa Aremu made condemnation on Sunday (August 4, 2019) in Ilorin while speaking at the sixtieth birthday and retirement send forth ceremony of Alhaji Mohammed Tunde Akanbi of radio Kwara.
Comrae Aremu explained that legitimate protest in a democracy is not the same thing as “emergency revolution” and anarchy as being promoted by what he called “anti- democratic forces”.
He recalled that one of the conveners of the proposed protest was Mr Omoyele Sowore who he said was also the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, who lost in 2019 presidential election.
The labour leader advised Sowore to rather prepare for the next elections in 2023 as a mark of abiding faith in democratic process.
“No short cut to nation building as we have seen in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia. The road to development in Nigeria and Africa is deepening democracy not anarchy. The media should not give vent to anti democratic forces under any guises”.
He said all progressive forces must demand for good democratic governance as much as condemn any attempt at undermining democracy either through red- hearing and unprincipled outrage or police over reaction, both he said can only undermine the democratic process.
Comrade Aremu observed that protests are legitimate in a democracy recalling what he called 40 years of NLC’s legitimate struggles for minimum wage, against petroleum price increases, against insecurity, for revival of industry, against military dictatorship and for democracy adding that labour’s struggles had helped to deepen democracy for better inclusive welfare in the country.
The former Labour Party Governorship candidate in Kwara State however called on Nigeria media to help in deepening democracy through publications of news that would foster nation building rather than providing vents for what it calls anti-democratic forces.
He said that objective reports would be of great help to prevent various challenges facing the nation.
According to the labour leader, the challenges of insecurity, bad governance and corruption facing the nation call for what he called developmentalist news that promote productivity, dignity of labour, peace, unity and harmony the values he said the celebrated epitomized.
Comrade Aremu urged journalists to emulate the track record of Tunde Akanbi in reporting the truths, not fake news, in promoting news that will create jobs for the youths, reopen closed factories, ensure peace and harmony in the community.
He therefore praised the celebrant, Alhaji Tunde Akanbi, for what he called blessing of long and quality life in a country of shortened life expectancy due to infant mortality, maternal mortality, road accidents, fatal robberies, fake drugs, fake food, and various forms of insecurity.
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