No going back on national protest, NLC insists
By Emma Ogbuehi
Despite the nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu on Monday in which he rolled out policies to cushion the impacts of the fuel subsidy removal, the organised Labour has vowed to proceed with the national protest scheduled to commence tomorrow, August 2. The protest would see the Nigerian workers under the auspices of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliates stay out of offices and work places.
The decision to proceed with the strike followed series of meetings at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, in which the organised labour reiterated its intention to proceed with a planned protest against the removal of petroleum subsidy.
The Steering Committee on palliatives, comprised of representatives from the organized labour, expressed doubt regarding the ability of President Bola Tinubu to effectively control inflation and gasoline prices due to the unification of the exchange rate.
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President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, addressed the concerns, stating that the plan for workers to engage in a peaceful protest starting from Wednesday remains unchanged.
He dismissed fears of the protest being hijacked by hoodlums, pointing out that such incidents have never occurred in the history of workers’ protests.
However, he emphasised that it is the responsibility of the security agencies to ensure the safety of the demonstrators.
The Steering Committee adjourned their meeting until 12 noon on Tuesday to allow the labour leaders to listen to the president’s national broadcast on Monday.
Regarding Tinubu’s plan to intervene in the exchange rate in an attempt to address inflation and the high cost of gasoline, Ajaero expressed doubts about its effectiveness. Given the reliance on imported energy and the absence of comparative advantages, he questioned how control could be exerted.
Ajaero also highlighted the challenges faced by NEPA (Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission) in resisting tariff increases, as well as the significant increase in the price of corn in rural areas.
The organised labour had previously walked out of a meeting on Friday due to the absence of senior government officials available for negotiations.
Participants in Monday’s meeting included Ajaero, representatives from the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the General Secretary of NLC, the TUC Secretary, and other delegates from the organized labour. On the government side, attendees included the Chief of Staff to the President, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, among others.
