• Sets Up Committee For Wednesday Strike Action • ‘Protest Not To Undermine Court Order’

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has lamented the unseriousness of the Federal Government towards the creation of frameworks to cushion the impact of hike in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

The NLC said the government’s unseriousness was demonstrated not only in the quality of its representation in the hastily called meeting on Wednesday, after labour declared August 2 for a nationwide strike, but also in their unpreparedness to deal with the issues as canvassed.

A communique issued yesterday at the end of the Congress’ National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, said it has set up strategy committees across all the states, urging all affiliates and state councils, including the civil society, to come out on Wednesday, August 2, to protest government’s insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians.

In another development, the NLC reiterated that the notice of its protest is not intended to undermine the courts, but to express its right to a peaceful protest, which even the courts are obliged to uphold.

NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah said this in a statement, while reacting to the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, B.E. Jedy-Agba’s comments on its notice of protest against the latest pump price of PMS.

In his reaction, Upah said Jedy-Agba said unprintable things about the NLC, stressing that the restraining order Jedy-Agba talked about pertained to the NLC notice of strike earlier in June as a result of the increase in the pump price of PMS from N190 to N537.

He said the NLC was not aware it was a perpetual injunction, which covers everything the Congress does, stating that this certainly would go against the grain of justice.

Upah said NLC’s present notice of peaceful protest in conjunction with civil societies, individuals, associations and communities, has nothing to do with the previous increase by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) but has everything to do with market forces that propelled pump prices to new heights of N617.

In the earlier communique signed by NLC President, Joe Ajaero; its Treasurer, AmbaliAkeem and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, said the NEC-in-session exhaustively deliberated and reviewed the current socioeconomic situation confronting Nigerian workers and masses, as well as the attendant mass sufferings and deprivation across the nation as a result of alleged unfortunate actions and policies of the current occupiers of the seat ofgovernment.

It said the NEC-in-session, in agreement with the Central Working Committee’s (CWC) earlier meeting, concluded that the government has shown disdain and contempt for the plight of Nigerians, shunning reasonable dialogue and refusing to take active measures to protect Nigerians instead.

It alleged that the government’s move to come up with a framework resorted to robbing the people to pay the rich despite the massive outcry across the nation.

To this end, the NEC-in-session said it applauds, re-affirms and supports all the decisions of the CWC meeting of Wednesday on the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government, including the recent hike in PMS price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers, as well as increase in VAT.

It called for the immediate inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues, to begin the building across the nation of a coalition of all Nigerians, where all will be leaders and all will be followers.

The NLC called on all civil society organisations and Nigerians, wherever they may be, to begin mobilisation to take action on their own to save the nation.

Speaking on the impending strike not undermining any court order, Upah said, “This is a new matter entirely, which the previous order did not contemplate or affect.

“Happily, a representative of government at the meeting of the Steering Committee with NLC on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, said the matter for discussion at the meeting was the first increase, making it clear that the new increase was outside the mandate of the Committee.

“In light of this, we consider it highly dangerous that the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, now a self-appointed spokesperson of the government and perhaps, the courts, have elected to add to the issues in dispute not contemplated by any of the parties. There can be no better illustration of this than the disclaimer by the government’s rep on the steering committee.”

He alleged that Jedy-Agba resorted to blackmail with malicious statements, saying that the NLC was concerned about her comments for their untruths, malice, blackmail, and deficiency in the law.