The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have said the ruling political elite should be held responsible for the hardship in the country.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, and the TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama said this during a joint press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

The labour leaders condemned the threats from the northern and southern regions, saying Nigeria could not afford another civil war.

They urged Nigerians not to allow some persons take advantage of them due to the hardship in the country.

The NLC boss said, “Our common enemy, whom we must all resolve to face, remains the corrupt political class, who, instead, of utilising our wealth, choose to loot for themselves and for their children. We, as labour unions, are determined to stop our elite from throwing our nation into another avoidable civil war.

“By no imagination should anyone blame the escalating injustice, poor living conditions; inability of states to pay salaries, massive unemployment and other lows on the structure of our federation.

“You have been witnesses to the degeneration of the national conversation into threats and counter-threats; of pulling down the federation by desperate forces, all of which were conveyed in vile language.

“Those fanning the embers of disunity need to be schooled in the realities of war. We appeal to all parts of Nigeria not to fall cheaply for war as a solution to our self-inflicted crisis. Let us, therefore, not allow them to use the poor Nigerian workers, pensioners and peasants as cannon fodders for their selfish interests.”