A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the Lagos People’s Assembly (LPA), has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to shelve its planned two-day protest for the sake of national peace and security.

The group’s convener, Gbenga Soloki, at a news conference in Lagos on Sunday, said the organised labour should opt for constructive engagement with the government instead of disrupting socio-economic life at this point.

The NLC had insisted on its planned protest against prevailing challenges in defiance of warnings by the State Security Services to shelve it.

The organised labour, on Monday, began mobilising its members for a nationwide protest slated for February 27 and 28.

Mr Soloki said the proposed protest, at this point, would be injurious to the economic well-being of the people of Lagos State, Nigerians and a negation of what labour stood for.

“We recognise the right of the labour unions to embark on protests or strikes as conscientious citizens and residents of Lagos State, but embarking on such a protest at this point will be counter-productive.

“Lagos State, as we all know, is a volatile environment, and some anti-democratic elements may pull the state and Nigeria backwards at the slightest opportunity.

“The trauma of the 2020 #EndSARS protests with its damage to limbs, destruction of life, public and private property still haunts us to date,” he said.

Mr Soloki said the only solution to the economic challenges remained constructive engagements between the government and citizenry.

The convener said the Lagos State government had inaugurated its committee on the distribution of palliatives made up of eminent Nigerians.

He said the committee should be given the benefit of the doubt and urged other state governments to follow suit.

Mr Soloki added that the palliatives would assist in ameliorating the economic challenges.

“Our group and others will monitor the various social intervention programmes recently announced by the Lagos State government,” he added.

(NAN)