NYCN cautions labour against mass protest as NOA urges dialogue

The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), yesterday, cautioned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) against embarking on a nationwide strike and mass protest from Monday, September 28, over the recent hike in fuel price and electricity tariff.

Its President, Solomon Adodo, who made the appeal at a media briefing in Abuja, alleged that presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections, Atiku Abubakar and some PDP governors induced some national officers of the unions to frustrate government’s efforts at reforming the petroleum industry.

He warned the workers’ unions against deceiving or misinforming Nigerians on the state of petroleum products pricing, explaining that the call to mass action and strike was triggered by political motives rather than a desire to champion the cause of ordinary Nigerians.

“This is no more an agitation for improved welfare of the masses, but an attempt to subvert the government for political purposes.

“The NLC and TUC’s orders for the Federal Government to reverse the price of petrol and revert to the old subsidy regime is not only out of sync with the pricing realities of the products, but also falls below par in our current economic logic,” the group said.

Relatedly, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has appealed to the labour unions to continue to dialogue with government in order to find a common ground on the fuel and electricity price hikes.

Director General of the agency, Dr. Garba Abari, urged the labour leaders to continue to avail themselves of the platforms for debate and negotiations provided by government.

He said, “Calling for protests and strike at this period can hardly help in the difficult task of navigating the nation through the challenges and impact of COVID-19 pandemic.”

The NOA also appealed to Nigerians to come to terms with the economic realities of the times, which required aggressive revenue drive and removal of unsustainable subsidies, as a way of improving the economy and attracting the needed investment funds into the country.