…Says NLC, TUC, JOHESU, others betrayed Nigerian masses

A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Tuesday, said civil society organisations, the over 130 million multi-dimensionally poor Nigerians, millions of jobless youths and all lovers of democracy should protest the abrupt and insensitive removal of petrol subsidy by the young administration of President Bola Tinubu.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, accused the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) and other affiliate labour unions of working to enrich their individual pockets by going into selfish negotiations with the government and terminating the planned nationwide strike scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

The group lamented that the Organised Labour has now become a cash-and-carry association that moneybags and government officials now corner to do their bidding instead of protecting the interest of the masses.

HURIWA said already, the nation’s inflation is galloping like never before and the informal sector was yet to recover from the hardship caused by the senseless cash swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria; yet, the government deemed it fit to abruptly remove fuel subsidy without palliatives in place, without getting the nation’s four refineries to work, without transportation arrangement for Nigerian workers, without fulfilling its promises of the conversion of car engines from petrol to gas, amongst many others.

The rights group stressed that the organised Labour betrayed the Nigerian people by agreeing to suspend its planned strike scheduled to commence on Wednesday.

The Labour took the decision after meeting the Federal Government representatives on Monday at the Aso Villa in Abuja. The Labour Centres and the Federal Government are also expected to meet on June 19, 2023, to agree on an implementation framework.

This was after the National Industrial Court sitting in Abuja granted an interim order restraining the NLC and the TUC from going on strike as planned, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

“With this order, the judiciary is captured by a recklessly controlling administration going to court to stop civil and democratic liberties such as embarking on strike and protesting the senseless and not-well-thought-out subsidy removal which has caused Nigerians untold hardship amid skyrocketing food prices and inflation.

“Since NLC/TUC have abandoned the masses and are busy negotiating for themselves and their members who are less than 5 per cent of the working and struggling masses of Nigeria, the organised civil society community, alongside the unemployed youths, and lovers of democracy should go ahead and organise and not agonise but to implement far-reaching civil disobedience actions including popular protests to reject the new pump price of petrol.

“The 800 million dollars loan from the World Bank which the government and the organised Labour unions are discussing on how to share amongst themselves is just a drop in the ocean and wouldn't ameliorate the high costs of fuel, kerosene and diesel in Nigeria with over 100 million absolutely poor households.”