President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Comrade Abdulwaheed Ibrahim Omar says efforts by the NLC to resolve issues through dialogue have been frustrated by agents of government, adding that Labour would go on strike if government goes ahead with its plan on fuel price deregulation.
Omar said this in Maiduguri yesterday at a rally jointly organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Civil Society Organisations to protest against some policies of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s government.
Protesters trekked for several hours, chanting solidarity slogans as they condemned government’s plan to deregulate the country’s oil and gas sector as well as its doctoring of the Justice Mohammed Uwais committee report on electoral reforms. The unions also demanded for an upward review of the minimum wage to N52,250 as well as a commitment by government to fight corruption.
They regretted that the wages and salaries of civil servants had been rendered worthless by inflation, saying that while workers had only a 15 percent wage increase over the past three years, political office holders had enjoyed over 800 percent increment within the same period.
“Despite all cries by Nigerians against deregulation, government is still bent on going ahead with deregulation; if the cries of Nigerians won’t be heeded, if deregulation goes ahead, every Nigerian worker including those in the oil and gas sector will down tools in protest,” he said. He advised the government to fix the refineries and provide more products rather than deregulate the petroleum sector, adding that government had enough money to provide for everyone.
Presenting its demands through a letter to Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff for onward delivery to President Yar’adua, the NLC President said the letter contained the wishes of Nigerians. Omar charged Sheriff to ensure that the letter is delivered to the President.
He added that labour saw a lot of sense in the recommendations of the Uwais committee which suggested that electoral litigations be concluded before elected public officers with such cases assume office.
Receiving the letter on behalf of President Yar’adua, Governor Ali Modu Sheriff said leaders in a democracy must be responsible to the electorate by listening to them. “We are leaders because of you and we must listen when you speak. Whatever you have would be solved through peaceful dialogue and your letter of protest would be delivered to the president, but I appeal to you to ensure you choose dialogue in tackling every matter between you and government because there is nothing that dialogue cannot resolve,” he said.