Fuel: Be courageous enough to speak the truth, NLC replies Abdulaziz
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has fired back at the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, who accused NLC President, Joe Ajaero, of telling lies about the congress’ negotiations with the government.
After the NLC said Tinubu betrayed them by increasing fuel price despite their negotiations on minimum wage, Abdulaziz claimed his boss never offered labour leaders anything in exchange for fuel price hike.
“I sat through the two meetings President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange of fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians,” he said.
However, NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, said in a statement on Wednesday that Abdulaziz should be courageous enough to tell Nigerians the truth.
“We find amusing the denial of Abdulaziz. We have since asked ourselves if he is suffering from selective amnesia or attention span deficit,” said the NLC.
“However, not satisfied with his dubious denial, he elected to take a side dig at Comrade Joe Ajaero as ‘…once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians’.
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“Whatever the matter is with Abdulaziz, we stand by our statement. And if Abdulaziz was at those meetings as he claimed, he should be courageous enough to let the world know whether the President gave the labour leaders one hour to meet and resolve to either accept and allow increase or accept N62,000.
“Labour leaders instead chose to meet outside the Villa and report in a week. When they came back, they were blunt and rejected the offer.
“As for Abdulaziz’s side-dig, he should stop insulting the intelligence of Nigerians as they do not need Comrade Joe Ajaero to know they have been taken for a ride and that life has never been this mean, all due to the policies of government.
“We also find it necessary to let Abdulaziz and those who sent him know that Nigerians are entitled to a decent, respectable life free from harassment, intimidation and starvation.
“Government may have all the ultimate weapons of coercion, true power resides with the people.
“Finally, we are also acutely conscious of the fact that falsehood does not live forever.”