The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) has decried the continuous increase in the pump price of petrol, high rates of criminality and poverty in Nigeria.
The president general of the association, Muhammad Yunusa, made the association’s feeling known when he addressed journalists on Sunday in Abuja; he also taled on on the level of expectations by the labour unions on the occasion of the 2021 Workers Day celebration.
“We are also aware of the huge economic losses globally occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic, our expectations are rather very low, the economy is down, the indices of development is down and so, our expectations are very low.
“We are particularly worried about the continuous increase in the cost of petroleum products, we are also worried about electricity tariff, and we are very worried about job losses.
We are not happy with casualisation of workers I mean workers not getting permanent employment in all sectors of workforce across board, he said.
According to Yunusa, government has continued to promised creation of employment to address some of the challenges, but yet there are a lot of gaps needed to be filled to make it a reality.
He noted that the resultant effect of all of thechallenges had caused workers not to manage well the little salaries they get at the end of every month, owing to enormous family responsibilities.
Look for example at the Nigerian worker today with the little money receives to take care of over 20/30 people depending on that small money he earns and there is now general poverty in the land, he added.
Yunusa, however, on the way forward, advised the government to reduce the cost of governance by restructuring the system of government from the present bicameral to unicameral legislature so as to cut down the huge expenses of governance.
The union leader was also of a view that government should put more efforts to eradicate poverty as it was fighting insecurity, as such action could go a long way to discourage youths in particular to eschew criminality.
“The man who has not seen N2, 000 in three months, if you give him N50, 000 to go and kill people he will do it.
“We have been saying it that government has to reduce poverty even as the way of fighting insecurity to pave way for youths` engagement positively to make life meaningful to them,” he added.
