ARE threats of strikes and strikes, the only way to resolve crises? And have we asked ourselves who suffers the most when strikes happen?

And indeed, have strikes ever stopped government from achieving its ultimate goals?

To embrace the practice in other parts of the world, I believe that the time has come to engage constructively to achieve mutual objectives. What do Labour and civil society want? What does government want? What are the points of convergence? How can we aggregate our collective interests to ensure that at the end of the day, we all emerge winners? Considering these challenges as an ordinary Nigerian, like minded Nigerians and I came together to form the Initiative for Peace and Industrial Harmony, IPIH, to engage all stakeholders on the petroleum subsidy and related issues.

Our first effort was to organise a petroleum subsidy roundtable which had in attendance all stakeholders – except that representatives of government agencies invited failed to turn up. What was clear from our free and open discussions was that Labour, Civil Society and the organised private sector – all of which sent representatives- were ready and willing to negotiate with government on this issue, and possibly avert another challenge to our delicate security situation.

From our position as independent conciliators, and our commitment to fairness, justice and equity, IPIH is convinced that negotiation is the only way to resolve the seemingly intractable petroleum subsidy crises. But negotiations involve give and take. What is government prepared to offer, and what are the least offensive and most strategic ways of presenting these offers? What palliatives would government offer to mitigate the immediate effects of petroleum subsidy removal? Is there the political will to employ alternative sources of mediation?

When strikes take place in Nigeria, it is the ordinary citizen that suffers most. Millions of Nigerians, especially in the informal sector, eke out a living from whatever they earn daily. A one-day strike, not to talk of any protracted mass action, will jeopardize the delicate balance of their lives. Many people never recover from the shock of strikes and other mass actions, thus throwing more people into unemployment and poverty. Apart from the more determined labour leaders, a majority of civil servants and private sector employees simply stay at home during strikes – assured that their salaries would be paid in full at the end of the month. In many cases, miscreants have been known to take over public protests to unleash violence and mayhem on innocent citizens. And when all is said and done, government almost always has the last say.

The proposal by government to remove the subsidy on petroleum products presents Nigerians with a unique opportunity to hold government accountable. Rather than simply embark on industrial action that ultimately ends in favour of government, this time, all stakeholders must make demands on government – and hold it to its words. It is time to lay out the issues. It is time for all stakeholders to dispassionately study the issues and come out with critical inputs. From these inputs, all sides can bring forward ideas and templates from which a framework for bilateral and multilateral stakeholder engagement will evolve.

We need to ask: What measures have been taken to ensure that our four refineries are fully operational to reduce our dependence on fuel importation and bring down costs; how much of the savings would be used to develop infrastructure? How much will be used to set up a sustainable public transport system?

Why should the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, not negotiate with government for a robust students’ loans scheme for university education? What is the direct benefit to Nigerian women of the fuel subsidy removal by way of palliatives for poor women of reproductive and productive age, their infants and children?

How much of the savings from subsidy removal would be used to stimulate private sector-led growth and job creation? How can we force government to cut down on waste?

These are the sorts of questions that should determine the fuel subsidy debate, not threats, strikes and demonstrations which achieve little.

Dr. TIMIEBI KORIPAMA-AGARY , a retired Federal Perm Sec. is the National Coordinator , Initiative for Peace and Industrial Harmony.