Regina Otokpa 
…distances self from faceless protest
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to ensure the planned August 1 protest against bad governance and economic hardship was not hijacked by hoodlums waiting to take advantage of the situation.
President of the TUC, Comrade Festus Osifo while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, stressed that the Nigerian Police was blinded by the Police Act as well as the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to provide adequate security for protesters to ensure a peaceful protest.
Osifo who noted that the TUC would not be mobilising members to join in the protest which up until now was yet to have a face attached to its organisers or sponsors, maintained that if TUC had been reached or asked to participate, it probably would have.
He said: “When you are having a protest you need to sit down, have conversation, have meetings, you plan but as of today, nobody has reached out to us that they want to protest, nobody has asked for our collaboration so how do you expect us to participate in a protest when we don’t know who is organising it?
“We don’t even have any idea whatsoever what is going to happen and as an institution, we also know too that we have various organs that we run some of those things with. The leadership never sat down one day on the phone to call for a strike or protest but instead, we called the organs’ meeting to do review.
“The same way you saw it in the media is the way we have seen it. it’s something we don’t really know who is organising it, we don’t really know who is protesting but all we know is that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very clear on the issue of protest and the ptolice Act also mandated the police that when there is a protest they should ensure there is law and order, they should ensure those that are protesting are also protected.
“That is why we are reminding them that provision in the Police Act and the provision in the Constitution should be respected. If they had contacted us maybe we would have called our organs meeting for us to review but as of today, there is clearly nothing to discuss, there is clearly nothing to review.”
Details later…
