‘Embrace dialogue’ — reps ask NLC to shelve protest

The house of representatives has asked the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to suspend its planned protest.

The NLC has announced its decision to embark on nationwide mass protests on Wednesday (today) over some policies of the government which the union said have brought untold hardship on Nigerians.

Meetings between the union and federal government representatives have ended in a deadlock.

In a statement issued on Tuesday night, Akin Rotimi, spokesperson of the house of representatives, said NLC should suspend the planned protest and embrace dialogue.

“As representatives of the people, the house of representatives is fully aware and empathises with Nigerians on account of the hardship being experienced as a result of the removal of fuel subsidies,” the statement reads. 

“We also acknowledge the rights of the NLC to carry out peaceful protests as a means of clamouring for relief for Nigerian workers as we go through these challenging times.

“Like most Nigerians, we know that building a progressive and prosperous nation requires hard and far-reaching decisions which must be taken in the collective interest of the people, and see reason with the decision of the federal government to take the bull by the horn in the interest of long term economic growth and stability.”

The house asked the executive to “expedite the implementation” of the palliative measures announced by President Bola Tinubu on Monday and to consider additional measures that will bring immediate respite to the people.

“The gap between the removal of fuel subsidy and the tangible outcomes of palliative measures must be shortened for the sake of poor and vulnerable Nigerians,” the house said.

The lawmakers asked NLC and affiliate unions to “divert their energies” to continuous engagement with the federal government, with a view to resolving the issues quickly.

“It is our considered opinion that embarking on a protest at this time would in effect shut down our economy and further disrupt the lives of Nigerians, and therefore not in our best interest,” the house said.

The lawmakers appealed to organised labour to suspend the protest and “embrace continuous dialogue as a means of achieving the best interest of hardworking Nigerian workers, without worsening the current hardship they are facing”.