IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has berated Nigerians who have decided to relocate from Nigeria aka “Japa”, citing the unrest in Paris, France as a global phenomenon.
According to Reuters, organizers said 140,000 people attended the march against the rising cost of living and alleged government inaction against climate change in Paris.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Paris adding to growing defiance and anger about inflation, three weeks into a refinery strike that caused fuel shortages across France.
The demonstration against the rising cost of living on Sunday was called by the left-wing political opposition and led by the head of the France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Melenchon.
Melenchon, marched alongside this year’s Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Annie Ernaux. He called a general strike for Tuesday.
“You’re going to live a week like no other, we are the ones who started it with this march,” he told the crowd.
Melenchon followed the footsteps of four unions – but not France’s biggest, the moderate CFDT – which have called for strikes and protests on Tuesday for wage increases.
Al-Jazeera reported that the four unions also called the protests to help protect the right to strike, after the government ordered the requisitioning of some oil refinery workers, a move seen by unions as a violation of their constitutional rights.
The march followed a call by the NUPES parliamentary coalition, which hopes to turn the page on domestic violence accusations that have recently dogged senior members.
It was a show of anger against the bite of rising prices and to crank up the pressure on the government of President Emmanuel Macron.
Reacting to the video trending on various social media platforms, Festus Keyamo said despite the inflation in France, some Nigerians are still planning to migrate abroad.
According to the minister, Nigeria is not isolated from the present global issues.
He wrote on Twitter: “MASSIVE PROTESTS ON THE STREETS OF PARIS OVER SOARING PRICES. MEANWHILE SOME ARE STILL PLANNING TO ‘JAPA’ ABROAD, AS IF NIGERIA IS IN ISOLATION FROM PRESENT GLOBAL ISSUES. SOME WHO KNOW THE ISSUES ARE ALSO DECEIVING NIGERIANS AND PLAYING LOCAL POLITICS WITH GLOBAL ISSUES.”
His tweet didn’t sit well with Nigerians. Some took to his Twitter page to air their views.
Investigative journalist, David Hundeyin said: “Imagine tweeting this 3 days to the 2nd anniversary of the Lekki Massacre. No be say you kuku bright like that before sha.”
In a response to @davidhundeyin, @kayleyechi asked why the minister who divorced his wife because of “pot of soup” will be bright.
“How festus go bright? person wey divorce wife because of pot of soup”
@MKOMomoh compared the standard of living in the US to that of Nigeria. He said: “A 50kg bag of rice in d US now sells for N100k when you convert to naira, while same sells below N35k in Nigeria. A single banana, not even a bunch, just one banana, one throw at a monkey, sells for $2.00 now in d US. In Nig, d poorest man on d street buys a bananas bunch for $1”
@djelsco disagreed with @MKOMomoh, stating: “In US people collect 1500 dollars every two weeks, convert it to naira how much is your minimum wage here..your minimum wage can’t buy one bag of rice so what are you really talking about.”
Another tweep, @henryshield, while also replying, wrote: “Oh Lord……😄😄😄
“Who would explain to this guy that he just shot himself and his party in the foot with this image?”
@thefinalrabbi, who was also interested in the conversation, wrote: “You won’t see their military shooting at them o. But 2years ago, under the leadership of the APC, citizens were killed because they demanded a working Nigeria. APC is a mistake that must never be repeated. Tufiakwa”