Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, has described the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to shelve its nationwide strike as a victory for Nigeria.
Mohammed, who gave the commendation on Monday on the sideline of an interactive session with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Lagos, expressed delight over the suspension of the industrial action.
“Nigeria has won, and I want to take this opportunity to thank the NLC for reconsidering their position and agreeing to join us in negotiation,” he said.
“So, it is not who has won, but (it is) Nigeria that has won.”
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On May 18, the Ayuba Wabba-led faction of the NLC embarked on a nationwide strike to protest government’s decision to increase the pump price of petrol from N86:50 to N145:00
Mohammed also expressed the federal government‘s commitment to actualising its change agenda through sustained communication between it and Nigerians.
According to him, stakeholders’ meetings will further enhance information flow between government and the citizenry.
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“There is nothing like the government continuously engaging the people; you notice that we started this about a month or so ago when we started with our town hall meetings,” he said.
“We started in Lagos, moved to Kaduna; we will be in Kano on Friday.
“We have also been meeting with sectoral groups; we’ve met with the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria); we are going to meet with the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission.
“I believe that it is the beginning of trying to bridge the gap between the governed and the government and it is extremely fruitful.
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“We’ve heard you, and learnt a lot as well; but more importantly is that we’ve been able to explain to you why certain actions were taken.”
He said that his ministry would hold quarterly meetings with the CSOs in order to engage Nigerians on national issues.
“This is not going to be a one-of engagement,” he said.
“The next time we (will) come with three or four ministers, depending on what issues are prevalent.”
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