NLC Insist On Protest After Last-Minute Talks With FG, Says ‘Rally Goes On’
A late meeting between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour on Monday night at the State House in Abuja ended in a stalemate.
“The rally goes on and it is part of their constitutional responsibility to ensure that the rally is peaceful,” said the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, after the meeting with government representatives on the eve of the protest.
The meeting, hosted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, was not opened to the media.
Those in attendance at the meeting include the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Ministers of Labour, Agriculture, Finance, Budget & Planning and the Head of Service of the Federation.
The two labour centres in the country were also in attendance.
The NLC delegation was led by its National President, Joe Ajaero; while Festus Osifo led the delegation by the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The Federal Government had appealed to the NLC to shelve its planned nationwide protest slated for February 27 and 28, 2024.
The Minister of Information, Muhammad Idris, who spoke after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Monday, said the Federal Government had fulfilled almost all the demands put forward by the labour union.
The NLC said the Federal Government must put on its thinking cap and implement its agreement with the Organised Labour as well as address the mounting economic crisis of survival in Nigeria.
Nigeria is battling rising inflation, food inflation, forex crisis, economic hardship and high cost of living occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy, attracting protests in parts of the country.
Despite subtle pressure from the government for the group not to embark on the planned strike, the NLC said its members won’t be cowed to shelve their proposed nationwide protest.
