By Victor Ahiuma-Young

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has given the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to reverse perceived anti-poor policies, including the recent hike in the pump price of petrol or face an indefinite nationwide strike from August 2.

Consequently, the NLC has directed all its affiliates and state councils to immediately begin mobilisation of workers and other Nigerians, including civil society allies, for a long-lasting strike and mass protests should the government fail to meet its demands.

NLC, in a communiqué at the end of its Central Working Committee, CWC, meeting held Tuesday, July 25, at Abuja Labour House, also demanded “the immediate inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues.”

The communiqué, signed by President and General Secretary of NLC, Joe Ajaero and Emma Ugboaja, respectively, said the CWC-in-session demanded “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 and increase in VAT.”

The communiqué noted that NLC equally resolved “to begin the building across the nation of a Coalition of all Nigerians where all will be leaders and all will be followers, calls on all civil society organisations and Nigerians, wherever they may be, to begin mobilisation to take action on their own to save our nation and to lead and organise mass protest rallies across the nation to demonstrate outrage against the inhuman actions and policies of the government.”

It also resolved “to give the federal government a seven-day ultimatum within which to meet all our demands and or we embark on a nationwide action beginning Wednesday the 2nd of August, 2023 to compel the government to reverse its anti-poor and anti-workers policies.”

Consequently, the communiqué informed that NLC “direct all affiliates and state councils to begin immediate mobilisation and closely work with associations, individuals and other entities including the ones already on the streets to ensure that government listens to the people.”

According to the communiqué, CWC-in-Session exhaustively deliberated on the crippling economic situation facing Nigerians and its attendant consequences of mass suffering, poverty and angst pervading Nigerian workers and people which are clear resultants of the insensitive policies and actions of the present administration.

NLC recalled that on May the 29, 2023, the President gave Nigerians an inaugural shocking gift by increasing the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, from N185 to N500.

This action was strongly condemned by various organs of Congress because of the massive suffering it imposed on the lives of Nigerians.

‘FG declared war on Nigerians’

It lamented that “as if that was not enough, the federal government through the instrumentality of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, effected a further hike in the price of PMS to N617 per litre without having addressed the dire consequences which the earlier hike had imposed on Nigerians.

“Other anti-poor policies have since been unleashed on Nigerians which have left workers and masses reeling and deeply impoverished.”

CWC-in-Session contended that “the federal government has shown enormous disdain and contempt for Nigerian people and workers having acted and continued to act without regards to the welfare and cries of the citizenry.

“The government seems to have declared a war of attrition on Nigerian workers and masses without any care leaving them to the throes of hopelessness and helplessness.

“The federal government has refused to put in place safeguards to protect Nigerians from the harsh economic situation that its policies have inflicted on the people rather it has decided to insult the sensibilities of Nigerian masses by offering us N8,000 per family and offering themselves N70 billion.

“The federal government has frustrated and abandoned its own committee which was a product of social dialogue between the government and workers organisations in the country.

“While the committee has not met, the government embarked on unilateral actions and programmes. Since Mr. President’s ‘subsidy is gone forever’ speech at inauguration day; the peace of mind of Nigerians has gone and decent living gone increasing despair of unimaginable dimensions.

“The federal government has continued to treat Nigerians as slaves and a conquered people which it treats with impunity without any concern on the consequences.

“The federal government has continued in an unholy mission of robbing the poor to pay the rich in Nigeria as typified by its continued frustration of the activation of the agreed alternatives to Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, and new hike in prices of PMS to N617 per litre. The federal government has continued to promote the gang-up of the ruling elite against Nigerian people and workers.”

According to the communiqué, members of the CWC “observe that the federal government has continued to churn out, without relenting, policies designed to emasculate Nigerian workers and people via not just increases in PMS prices with its spiraling affect but also increases in Value Added Tax, VAT, increases in school fees across all publicly-owned secondary and tertiary institutions of learning; that the NNPCL has turned itself into the forces of demand and supply and fixes the price of petroleum products while mouthing deregulation.

“Government’s conduct suggests it does not intend to commit itself to the MoU it signed with NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC. Nigerians are outraged and have been putting pressure on the NLC to lead them in protest against the increases in the pump price of PMS.

“The pressure has come to a breaking point and given government’s continued indifference to the plight of the poor, resolved that it would not be party to the killing of poor Nigerian workers and masses.

“It is the responsibility of men and women of conscience propelled by patriotic zeal to take necessary action to protect democracy and our beloved nation since it is clear that the federal government is not interested in discussions having exhausted half of the agreed 8 weeks without activating the Presidential Steering Committee.

“The CWC-in-session subsequently demands 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 and increase in VAT and the immediate inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues.”