CPJ Celebrates Nigerian Workers, Urges NLC to Provide Leadership for Civil Society

* Creates awareness on malaria prevention

Abimbola Akosile and Blessing Abah

The Catalysts for Peace and Social Justice (CPJ), a faith-based organisation, has joined millions of Nigerians to felicitate with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) as it celebrated the Nigerian working classes in commemoration of the International Workers’ Day 2017, which holds on May 1 annually.

The organisation in a release issued by its Executive Director, Mr. Henry Onifade, sympathised with Nigerian workers for their courage and perseverance “as they have been the worst victims of the pervasive corruption, visionless leadership, lawlessness and impunity which successive leaders, elected at all levels, have visited on the country in the last 18 years of democratic government.”

“We empathise with Nigerian workers as they suffer the excruciating impact of a wicked political, business, traditional and religious elite, too self-absorbed with personal and group interests that they care not for righteousness, nor justice, nor love.

“We call on the NLC leadership to unite its leadership cadre in order to organise its members to come together in the coming battles for good governance and a better country; and to raise its voice against the lethargy, injustice, vindictiveness, nepotism, and confusion that have combined to widen the cracks in the walls of the country’s unity and deepen the nation’s fault lines.”

The organisation also called on the NLC to “mobilise the workers to protest against the poor management of the economy, particularly the failure of this administration to stabilise the Naira, and bring down inflation to single digit.”

The Congress was also enjoined to “provide leadership for the civil society so there could be a concerted effort to mobilise the workers and the generality of the people to put pressure on the leaders in revamping decadent infrastructure, creating the right environment for investment and job creation, resolving the challenge of insecurity caused by herdsmen and kidnappers, funding education to make the nation’s schools and colleges globally competitive, equipping the hospitals for improved Medicare, and implementing policies capable of lifting the generality of the people out of poverty”, the release added.

Meanwhile, the CPJ also created awareness on Malaria Prevention to mark the World Malaria Day that was marked on April 25 around the globe annually, and by the organisation at Aralile Community of Surulere, Lagos State.

Onifade said the organisation was out to assist the community, even on a global level on the need to eradicate malaria through its prevention. “As a Non-Governmental organisation that cares for various aspects of human lives, governance, social justice and  humanitarian, we are planning a major anti-malaria campaign that will spread for 12 months and work has started on it but this is just an outreach to our programme” he added.

He said, “Malaria is prevalent in Africa unlike the developed countries. What we are doing presently is to create awareness in Aralile community and Nigeria at large to ensure our environment is clean to drive out mosquitoes.”

According to the Programme Director for CPJ, Mr. Biyi Adekoya, “Our message is that the community comes to the awareness and danger of malaria fever, the need to put measures in place to ensure control and prevent malaria.”

The Chairman, Aralile Community who was pleased at the visit of CPJ, sought the continuity of the event to help the community members in their health challenges. CPJ shared some prevention materials for mosquitoes like nets for young and old, anti-malaria drugs, and test for high blood pressure among others.