The Nigeria Labour Congress has joined the debate on the proposed sale of national assets as a way out of the current recession.
The NLC held that selling the assets is not the ideal way out of the ecomomic challenges facing the country.
The President of the Union, Ayuba Wabba, stated this on Monday while inaugurating the NLC-ASUU “Think-Tank Group.”
The group, he said, was expected to dialogue with the Federal Government on ways of addressing the country’s current economic challenges.
Comprising a ten- member committee drawn from the different sectors of the economy, the group is expected to represent the interest of Nigerians and come up with developmental agenda.
The members of the committee i nclude Omotoye Olorode, Dipo Fashina, Muhammed Aliyu, Muttaka Usman, Isacc Nwaogwugwu, Yemi Bangbose and Isa Aremu.
Others members are Sonny Atumah, Peter Ozo-Eson and Hauwa Mustapha.
“We have three ways of engaging government, the intellectual way, the NLC way which is protest, and we have lawyers that are ready to engage government. “We are ready to follow through with all the three ways,” Wabba said.
He urged Nigerians to protect the nation’s asset by saying no to the sale of the country’s national assets as was being proposed by some individuals.
According to him, the nation’s national asset is all it has for the future generation. He urged the government to rather ensure the implementation of tax justice in the country.
This, he said, would prompt the generation of funds for the development of the economy, adding that tax evasion and tax waivers should be discouraged.
“It is only the poor and the working class that pay tax in this country, but if the high and mighty pay tax then we will have more than enough to go round,” he argued.
The NLC chairman urged the Federal Government to look into the country’s fiscal and monetary policy as well as take stock of the country’s asset. He maintained that foreign exchange rate had not only added to the problem facing the country, but had also made few Nigerians wealthy.
