Take It Back Movement Joins AUPCTRE in Protest Against Mass Layoffs & Water Privatization: 391 Workers Unjustly Dismissed

The Take It Back Movement join the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Service Employees to protest against the Lagos government’s unjust termination of 391 water corporation employees, as well as its water privatization plans.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched to express their outrage over the layoffs, decrying them as a symptom of a deeper pattern of corporate greed and government ineptitude in Nigeria.

The protest echoed a growing chorus of voices calling for more equitable policies that prioritize the well-being and rights of the Nigerian people, particularly its vulnerable workers and communities dependent on public resources.

As the unified voices of the demonstrators reverberated across the streets, the protest served as a potent symbol of resistance to the government’s proposed privatization policies, which would disproportionately harm low-income communities, increasing socioeconomic disparities and potentially compromising the availability and affordability of water resources for vulnerable Nigerians.

The demonstration aimed not only to defend the unjustly terminated workers, but also to champion the right of all Nigerians to have access to basic necessities, such as water, without the burden of exorbitant prices or political exploitation.

In preparation for the protest, the Take It Back Movement was part of a meeting convened on Monday by the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Service Employees to strategize and plan for the demonstration. The groups, in unison with other civil society organizations and labor groups, chose to stage the protest in Ikeja, to send a unified message to the Nigerian government calling for an immediate halt to policies that jeopardize workers’ rights and the access of ordinary Nigerians to clean, affordable water.

Today, at Ikeja, protesters are making their voices heard through massive demonstration. With a vision to address the growing concerns of affected workers and Nigerians, the protest centers on the potential negative consequences of water privatization.

The protesters fear that commercializing water services will lead to price hikes, reduced access for vulnerable communities, and less accountability in the water sector.

Amidst a wave of economic instability and soaring unemployment in Nigeria, the Lagos government had dismissed 391 workers from the Lagos Water Corporation last month, citing ‘restructuring efforts’ intended to enhance efficiency.

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