Shagari would have industrialised Nigeria if 1983 coup did not happen - NLC
- The Nigeria Labour Congress has joined Nigerians and the family of Shehu Shagari in mourning the death of the former leader
- NLC says Nigeria would have been industrialised if the military did not sack Shagari's government in 1983
- According to the union, Shagari initiated some of the land mark projects including iron and steel and petrochemicals in his quest to make Nigeria an industrial hub
The death of former president Shehu Shagari has been mourned by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which said the country would have been industrialised if the 1983 coup that sacked his government did not occur.
Vanguard reports that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) stated this in a statement in Abuja by its president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba.
Legit.ng recalls that after Shagari's government was sacked by the military, Muhammadu Buhari took over the leadership of the country.
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In the statement, NLC stated that Shagari signed into law the National Minimum Wage Act of 1981 that provided for a new national minimum wage of N125 which was equivalent to about $200.
The statement read: “We at the Nigeria Labour Congress would like to join the Nigerian government, world leaders, family members and other Nigerians in mourning the death of Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Elder statesman and first Executive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“As President, Shagari, as he was popularly known, was humble, personable, considerate and broad-minded, some of the reasons that explained his popularity amongst the ordinary people.
According to NLC, Shagari initiated some of the land mark projects including iron and steel and petrochemicals in his quest to make Nigeria an industrial hub.
The statement continued: “Not a few hold the view that but for the coup that removed him from power in 1983, unceremoniously cutting short his second term, Shagari would have seen through his vision of a highly industrialised Nigeria.
“We similarly hold the view that given his urbane and simple and straight forward life style, Shagari would have built an enduring culture of democratic succession in spite of some of the disputed elections in his time.
“However, Shagari was blamed for not exercising requisite control over some of the rambunctious and corrupt members of his cabinet or party, a fact not a few, today, believe was largely responsible for his removal from power."
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the death of Nigeria's first executive president, Shehu Shagari, brought to the foreground some unknown facts about him, one of which was his rejection of presidential residence when he was sworn in as president in 1979.
The grandson of the late former president, Bello Shagari, made the disclosure on Saturday, December 29.
Shagari's grandson, who is the president of Nigerian Youth Council, said: "When he was sworn in as the President, he decided to take the Vice President’s residence instead of the one meant for him because he felt the residence meant for the President was too luxurious for him and his family."
The first property Shagari built in Sokoto was said to be a house made of mud, before the former president built a storey building on Shehu Shagari Crescent road in Sokoto.
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