- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will again be on the seat this week as the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and its affiliates prepare for a nationwide strike
- The NLC had announced the conclusion of its last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital
- They resolved at the meeting to embark on a two-day warning strike, and states like Lagos, Kano, Niger and four others have confirmed their preparedness
Amid the chronic economic downturn and hardship, Nigeria is on the verge of witnessing another nationwide strike as ordered by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and other organised labour.
The NLC announced last week that it would embark on a two-day warning nationwide industrial action slated for Tuesday and Wednesday, September 5 and 6, 2023.
Source: Facebook
The nationwide strike is expected to serve as a demonstration and reaction against the policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which has plunged Nigerians into a chronic state of hardship and poverty.
As reported by Punch, some state chapters of the NLC have confirmed their readiness to join the nationwide strike.
Below are some state NLCs that have declared their intention to join the strike.
1. Lagos State NLC
The chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the NLC, Mrs Agnes Sessi, has confirmed their readiness to join the nationwide strike as earlier announced.
She said:
“We are under the authority of our national leadership, and whatever is decided at the national level is binding on us. So, yes, we are joining the strike.”
2. Sokoto State NLC
Abdullahi Jungle, the NLC chairman at the seat of the caliphate, also confirmed that they would be joining the nationwide striker.
He confirmed that he had mobilised a meeting between the State executives of the NLC and its members to deliberate on the modalities of how to go about the strike.
Jungle said:
“We are holding a meeting today on how to go about it, but I can assure you that we will join the strike.”
3. Kano State NLC
In Kano State, the NLC chairman, Kabiru Inuwa, said they are ready to join the planned warning strike announced by its national headquarters.
He also confirmed that a meeting would be held with other executives of the organised union to conclude preparations and arrangements for the Tuesday and Wednesday strike action.
Inuwa said:
“We are going to join the strike as directed by the national headquarters of our union because we attended the NEC where the decision was reached.”
4. Ekiti State NLC
Elsewhere in southwestern Nigeria, the Ekiti State NLC has expressed its readiness to join the warning strike.
Confirming this detail, the NLC chairman in Ekiti, Kolapo Olatunde, said it is imminent for them to join the strike if the federal government fails to meet its obligations.
Olatunde said:
“There is correspondence towards the decision, there is communique to that effect from the national, that is already with our members. It is a collective decision.”
5. Gombe State NLC
Ibrahim Fika, the general secretary of the NLC Gombe State chapter, said a communique detailing instructions on the warning strike had been received.
He confirmed that the Gombe State would join the strike as instructed by the headquarters.
Fika said mobilisation would commence in earnest on Monday, September 4.
6. Niger State NLC
The NLC in Niger State also confirmed that a meeting had been held regarding the notice it received from the headquarters to join the two-day warning strike.
It was confirmed that the meeting was held on Sunday, September 3, at the NLC secretariat along IBB road in Minna, the state capital.
Some of the organised unions in attendance for the meeting included the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Medical and Health Workers Union, Hotel Workers Union, unions of the tertiary institutions and civil service unions, among others.
7. Bauchi State NLC
In the Bauchi State chapter, the NLC chairman, Comrade Shu’aibu Dauda, confirmed they are prepared to join the strike.
He confirmed that he was at the national meeting where the decision was made to embark on the strike, and their members were aware of the planned industrial action.
Dauda said:
“We are ready to join the strike because it is a directive from the National Secretariat, and this has been unanimously agreed by all the NLC chapters in Nigeria with no exception.”
Organized labour rejects N5bn palliative to governors, gives reason
Meanwhile, organised labour has rejected the move by the federal government to distribute N5bn palliative each to 36 state governors and the FCT.
According to the NLC and TUC, the governors cannot be trusted with such initiatives meant for the poor.
The union argued that the governors would favour politicians rather than the poor Nigerians that the money was meant for.
Source: Legit.ng
