Activist lawyer Femi Falana said no threat from the government or any quarters would stop the looming nationwide protests scheduled to begin on August 1.
He spoke as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) denied reports that it has washed its hands off the planned nationwide protest scheduled for August 1.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero rubbished such reports and said he could not withdraw from a protest that his group did not organise.
Organisers say the planned nationwide protests were aimed at drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the prevailing hardship in the country.
Speaking on Channels TV on Tuesday, Falana urged the Federal Government to identify and engage the organisers of the protest for productive dialogue.
He said: “They have a way of contacting themselves and I think the government can draw some lessons from that 2020 (#EndSARS) experience. Identify those who are planning the protest and then engage with them productively.
“Threat will not work. In fact, the action of the government has a way of popularising such protests.
“Nobody listens to such warnings. This time around, the government should identify the leaders of the movement and have some dialogue with them. There are demands that are being raised, the government should address those demands.”
The NLC head made his statement in a Tuesday titled, “The Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise.”
Ajaero said: “A news report of the withdrawal of the Nigeria Labour Congress from the widely discussed national protest has been brought to our attention. The Nigeria Labour Congress debunks such a story as patently false.
“The truth is that the Nigeria Labour Congress cannot withdraw from a protest that it did not organise. It is only the organisers of the speculated national protest that can decide to pull out or continue with the protest.
“Yet, the fact that the Nigeria Labour Congress is not the body organising the protest does not mean that Organised Labour is oblivious of the dire living conditions Nigerians have been subjected to by the harsh economic policies of government.”
According to Ajaero, the NLC was standing in solidarity with the Nigerian people in these “trying and excruciating times.”
Ajaero also urged the Federal Government to invite the leaders of the protest movement to dialogue on their demands.
“Once again, we implore the Federal Government and the sub-national governments to listen to the cries of the Nigerian people and do the needful. After all, it is said that the voice of the people is the voice of God,” he said.
