Press Release: MAY DAY MESSAGE: MURIC URGES GOVT NOT TO SELL WORKERS’ HOUSES 30th April, 2008
We solidarise with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on the occasion of this year’s Worker’s Day. We commend the leadership of the NLC and identify with its efforts to emancipate the working jamaheer (masses).
We call attention to the plight of workers either in active service or retired who are living in government houses but whose houses are slated for bidding and for eventual sale. Many of such civil servants have lived in the houses for more than twenty years and now they are being asked to bid for the houses along with outsiders, most of whom are rich capitalists. Retired civil servants cannot compete favourably with the comprador bourgeoisie.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) calls on Government to rescind its decision and come out with a worker-friendly housing policy. This country needs a government that has the interest of the proletariat at heart. The dividends of democracy will be an illusion where workers cannot be certain that they will have roofs on their heads. Kleptomania thrives among workers because Government has not evolved a reassuring post-service policy.
MURIC affirms that it is inhuman to turn those who served this country diligently into vagabonds overnight. It kills patriotism. It deters hardwork and renders transparency impracticable. We therefore urge the Government to evolve an owner-occupier housing policy. The current biddings must stop and no attempt must be made to eject workers who occupy government quarters particularly those who possess genuine allocation papers. Finally, we call on the NLC to take up the case of serving and retired workers who face the threat of ejection from government quarters.
