The Trade Union Congress has again asked the Federal Government to stop the killings, abductions and other violent crimes in the country.
It described as a waste of resources the huge amount of funds spent on the security sector.
Speaking at its 12th Triennial National Delegate Conference in Abuja, on Tuesday, the TUC President, Quadri Olaleye, admonished the government to name and shame sponsors of insecurity.
Olaleye said, “We have observed with concern the increasing incidents of banditry, kidnapping and robbery in the country. The air, rail and road transport systems are no longer safe.
“About two weeks ago, Kuje Prison in Abuja was attacked and according to the Defence Ministry’s account, five people were killed, 879 inmates escaped, 443 were recaptured while 64 Boko Haram terrorists escaped.
“It is obvious the millions of naira invested in national security is a waste of resources. The terrorists are emboldened by the day making Nigerians more vulnerable. This ugly development keeps investors, especially foreigners away.
“We urge the Federal Government to, for once, summon the political will to name, shame and end the killing of Nigerians in churches, mosques, roads and their houses. Nigerians want to sleep with their two eyes closed.”
Olaleye also asked the government and the National Assembly to immediately stop the alleged plans to privatise unity schools across the country.
The congress argued that there is nowhere in the world where secondary education is run as a profit-making venture, insisting that its members would use every available means to resist the attempt of mortgaging secondary school education.
Meanwhile, recall that the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had in September 2021 promised to sponsor a bill that will empower boards of trustees to take over the management of the schools using the Public-Private Partnership model.
Olaleye said the congress’s findings indicate that the government was planning to privatise the 110 unity schools.
He stated, “We are not unaware about the serious conspiracy to privatise the 110 Federal Government Colleges and the push in the National Assembly to actualise the malicious agenda.
“There is nowhere in the world where secondary education is run as a profit-making venture; we wonder why ours is different.
“We warn that we are not going to allow our collective patrimony to be sold to a handful of individuals and highest bidders.”
