By Davies Iheamnachor

PORT HARCOURT — The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Sole Administrator of Rivers State to facilitate a peaceful and swift return of the suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, and other elected lawmakers.

NLC State Chairman, Comrade Alex Agwanwor, made the appeal during his May Day address at the NLC secretariat in Port Harcourt. He expressed concern that the suspension of democratic governance in the state was negatively affecting the welfare and morale of workers.

Agwanwor urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to use his office to reinstate all suspended elected officials in the state, stressing the importance of democratic institutions to workers’ wellbeing.

“Finally, as we reflect on the happenings in Rivers State in the past one month—the suspension of all democratically elected government and institutions—we must remain steadfast, law-abiding, and avoid acts that could provoke unrest,” he said.

“The organized labour fought for democracy, we are a product of democracy, and we will continue to fight until democracy is fully restored in our land.”

He further called on the Sole Administrator to expedite reconciliation efforts and ensure a prompt return to democratic order, noting that Rivers State workers had enjoyed better engagement under elected leadership.

Agwanwor also acknowledged recent actions by the Sole Administrator, including the payment of pensioners’ gratuities, provision of 20 additional buses to ease workers’ transportation, and payment of salaries to newly employed judiciary and healthcare workers.

However, he decried the worsening economic conditions faced by workers across Nigeria, highlighting increased taxes, electricity and telecom tariffs, and the removal of fuel subsidies without commensurate relief measures.

“While workers celebrate the N70,000 minimum wage approval, they are burdened by policies that have significantly reduced their purchasing power,” Agwanwor stated.

He concluded by calling for a holistic policy approach that genuinely addresses the economic hardship affecting Nigerian workers and the masses.