Pascal Arogorn Ibe
The Amalgamated Union of Foodstuffs and Cattle Dealers in Nigeria (AUFCDN) has threatened to resume its strike and cut off food supply nationwide to protest failure of the Federal Government to pay the N4.75 billion compensation agreed with them.
The Northern traders gave the government a three- week ultimatum to implement the signed agreement that led to the calling-off of their strike in March this year.
The union alleged its members were still being extorted by security agencies and harassed in the South – East.
The Northern traders had blocked food supply to South to demand the payment of N475 billion compensation for lives of members and properties lost during the #EndSars protest and Shasha market chaos.
The traders had also demanded the dismantling of all road blocks on Federal highways and an agreement with state governments to withdraw services anytime their members were subjected to attack.
Following a meeting brokered by Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello on behalf of the Federal Government, the Northern traders agreed to call – off their strike.
But addressing reporters on Tuesday after an emergency meeting in Abuja, President of AUFCDN, Comrade Muhammad Tahir, said three months after the union suspended the strike, the government was yet to meet their demands.
He said at the expiration of the three weeks ultimatum, the traders will ensure a nationwide blockage of food supply.
The AUFCDN president said: We have agreed to resume our strike. We sent all our documents as a reminder to the leaderships of the National Assembly, IG of Police, and all security agencies. We will wait to see what the government will say. If the government calls us about the issue then we will suspend action.
“We have not called strike. We are waiting on the government for this our reminder. We will wait for the government from now to two – three weeks about our agreement that made us to call-off our strike. Since we called it off nothing has been done.”
National Legal Adviser of AUFCDN, Saleh Magama, said: “We called an emergency meeting because of what is happening in the South – East to our members. We called them also to brief them on the previous strike we embarked upon two – three months ago on the aftermath of the strike.
“As AUFCDN, we have written to the Federal Government, to the ministries concerned, to the security agencies telling them of the promises of previous strike taken upon by the union; to remind them that they have not done anything.
“If nothing is done probably in the next three weeks we will come back, discuss and take a final resolution. The strike will be nationwide. We will cut – off food supply nationwide in the next three weeks if nothing is done.”
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