Senate President Godswill Akpabio has opened his book of lamentation.

He said: “With the volume of requests from various constituents represented in the National Assembly, lawmakers’ earnings are too inadequate to cater for those requests.”

“Although the hardships associated with the removal of subsidy on petroleum products are enormous, there is need for the people to be more patient with government while steps were being taken to ameliorate sufferings of the people.”

This is coming after Senator Abdulraman Kawu Suleiman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), representing Kano South moved a motion on the need to avert impending strike planned by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

Kawu said: “The strike would cripple the country as movement would be severely curtailed as commercial transport operators would withdraw their services, while markets, schools and healthcare facilities would be forced to shut down.”

“The strike threat by the NLC, if not averted, could plunge Nigeria into deeper economic woes, dislocate businesses, hunger, frustration, more hardship that would lead to unquantified financial losses and reduce Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”

“NLC strike is also a bad reputation for the Nigerian economy and the educational system because it portrays the country in a bad light to the external world and discourages foreigners from coming to do business or study in Nigeria.”