The pressure mounted on both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) by petrol marketers, tanker owners and other stakeholders influenced the decision of the unions to reluctantly accept deregulation as a policy.

However, in the spirit of give and take, the Federal Government also accepted to reverse the increment in the electricity tariffs.

The meeting started 8.37pm last night at the banquet hall of Aso Rock on Sunday.

The Guardian gathered that both labour unions will only take a final decision on the matter when it reached concrete agreement with government.

Stakeholders argued that Nigeria is ripe for deregulation especially if she wants to encourage the building of refineries in the country.

The marketers also argued that subsidy has led to mismanagement of the regime, which had led to the mounting unpaid subsidy payment.

Labour had called for strike to protest the increment in fuel prices and electricity tariffs.

In sensitising Nigerian over the weekend, members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart combed major streets of Abuja to distribute leaflets to motorists, market men and women and workers at the weekend explaining the reasons behind the strike and the need for Nigerians to resist alleged neo-liberal policies that demand removal of subsidy on public utilities such as electricity, PMS and water.


This comes as facts are emerging on why labour rebuffed promises of constitution of committees to work out palliatives at the last Friday meeting.

Sources that participated in the parley told The Guardian that the refusal of labour to buy the promise made by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, that a committee whose membership will comprise labour and government officers fell on deaf hears because of similar promise that was made in 2016 but never fulfilled as soon as government succeeded in dividing labour then.

Indeed, when the Friday meeting ended at 8.05pm, the labour delegation did not wait to eat the dinner that was provided as they briskly walked into the waiting buses led by NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and TUC President, Quadri Olaleye.

The source said: “When we went for this meeting last week Friday, government came up with the same agenda it used in 2016. But it failed this time as we sat there for more than 45 minutes refusing to say anything and government officials too did not have anything to say. It appeared to us that government does not have any plan beside the 2016 tactics. In 2016, government lashed on the division that arose after the 2015 delegates’ conference which led to the formation of a faction of the NLC, which later metamorphosed into United Labour Congress (ULC), which had NUPENG and NUEE as foundation members.


“This greatly hampered the capacity of labour to execute a successful protest. The Federal Government reaped bountifully from the crises. But the atmosphere has changed today. The ULC has dissolved into the mainstream NLC while both the President of the defunct ULC, Joe Ajaero is now a deputy president of the NLC and NUPENG now occupies the position of the Vice President.

Now, labour is formidable and speaks with one indissoluble voice. This strike might be the biggest and deadliest we have seen in the history of this country is the pump price is not reversed to N145 per litre and electricity tariff reversed. We know that two steps were part of the condition given by Bretton Wood institution for Nigeria to get more loans.”

NaijaRoyalty:
Ghana must go don exchange hands

osamz007:
CORRUPT FOOLS

THEY CAN'T STAND THEIR GROUND

FarahAideed:
I warned y'all that NLC was in it for their pocket and I have been vindicated ..Even after the announcement your electricity tarrif willl still be high ....Well it seems the new Tarriff is working because for the first time since Buhari came I have more than 16 hours daily and it has save me so much on Diesel

Ogonimilitant:
failed country

tobechi74:
Is strike still holding

xcellentgraphic:
Good news

Dominion202:
Buhari tenure is the worst ever government in the history of Nigeria.


Meanwhile, the moment someone mistakenly call me OZO.

SilverNorGold:


Wetin una want, this children? Them say strike wan happen, una attack Buhari. Now Buhari dun negotiate with them to avoid the strike, una still dey attack am.

Wetin exactly una want?

money1000:


You talk like a kid, please get something doing it will help you.

money1000:


You talk like a kid, please get something doing it will help you.

EzzyCarter:



When someone without much intellect has neither SilverNorGold you should know he'll be a truckload of sawdust lmao. Ignore such people . Their zombie level is in apocalypse mode

mbaise1000:
I didn't see any change if the price of petrol still remains 145 naira, are they really telling us that all these noise they have being making all these days is 15 or 20 naira noise?

SilverNorGold:


Here comes the most intelligent guy on NL.. And the richest too.. Boss, I hail o... Show me the way.

EzzyCarter:



No be you invent Google map? . There's way too much intellect and wisdom in that head of yours Future Nobel laureate