The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced on Wednesday that its seven-day strike will be held to free Nigerians from the shackles of government policies that have caused them agony.
The NLC had previously issued a seven-day ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to rescind “all anti-poor” policies, including the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as fuel.
Moments later, NLC president Joe Ajaero appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he stated that the union was still studying the situation, with the risk that the government policy will exacerbate already grave situations.
“The situation would be worsened. It is rather a move to rescue Nigerians, to see whether the government can show some level of empathy for us to do things differently to enable Nigerians to survive,” he said.
Almost two months, President Bola Tinubu, in his May 29 inaugural address, declared that “fuel subsidy is gone”.
The policy led to a near-instant hike in fuel prices from around N185 to N500, and up to N617 last week. With rising transportation costs and food prices, thousands have resorted to trekking long distances.
The NLC president argues that the imminent industrial action is to reduce the impact the government’s policies have had on the people at large.
“It can’t get worse than it is today. The impact we are talking of is either the impact on commodities or the impact on the people,” Ajaero said.
“What we are resisting, what we are fighting against, is the impact on the people and the impact is so much. It is worse.”
He bemoaned that policies laid down by the government that ought to be advantageous to the economy were biting hard on the people.
“I don’t know what other consideration one can look at, every government policy in a nation is aimed at benefiting the nation,” the labour leader lamented.
“The naira is gone, economic activity is gone, foodstuff gone. (In terms of) movement, you can’t move, and transportation is gone.”
According to a communiqué at the end of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on Tuesday, the NLC threatened to embark on a total and indefinite strike starting Wednesday, August 2, 2023, should the Federal Government fail to do the needful.