By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A call has been made for an all inclusive National Social Dialogue led by organised Labour on the current economic challenges as against “leaderless protests” that could lead to unhelpful and avoidable anarchy.
This call was made on Thursday by Comrade Issa Aremu, the Director General of Michael Imoudu National Institute for labour studies (MINILS) Ilorin.
Speaking at the 2024 policy seminar series of the Institute on “Democratic, Human And Workers Rights: An Inevitable Tripology For Human Development” Aremu cautioned against “leaderless protests” in Africa, adding that “protests without clear cut agenda are destroying countries like Sudan and Kenya which Nigeria should not copy.
He observed that while Nigeria celebrates 25 years of uninterrupted democratic process, there are still “anti-democratic forces” lurking around to truncate democracy.
According to him, the challenges of democracy can only be overcome through “more democracy, inclusive dialogue between the government and the people“.
Aremu commended the 10th National Assembly for the speedy passage of the new N70, 000 minimum wage bill as proposed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging civil society groups to emulate the approach of organised labour in engaging in policy contestation through peaceful dialogue on rising cost of living.