Labour To Re-strategise

Labour will take a break after a week to re-organise and re-strategise before resuming the nation-wide strike if the Federal Government fails to restore the fuel subsidy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Labour and Civil Society are spearheading the indefinite strike in protest against the Federal Government’s removal of the subsidy on January 1, causing the price of petrol to jump from N65 to N141 per litre.

Mr. John Kolawole, the TUC’s General Secretary, who dropped the hint in an interview with NAN on Tuesday in Lagos, said: “We are aware that it is not easy, but we must sacrifice to get our aim achieved. We shall have a small break, restore and go back.”

Kolawole said that the turnout of Nigerians had shown that people were tired of their conditions and needed a positive change.

“They are ready to make sacrifices to achieve their aim; we appreciate their courage and there are indications that they are not tired,” he said.

Speaking in a similar vein, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, Lagos-based lawyer and activist, said that plans would be made to stagger the protest days to ensure that the people did not get tired before they attained their objective.

“We are making arrangements to sustain the strike by being creative; we are planning to stagger it by region and days so that the strike will be held in some states and later in other states,” Aturu told NAN.

The arrow heads of the strike, who also spoke on the participation of the private sector in the strike, were confident that Nigerians in that sector might not be in a hurry to re-open their businesses until the fuel price was reversed.

According to them, the impoverishment of the people is forcing them to take a proactive stand in the strike.

Mr. Promise Adewusi, NLC’s Deputy President, told NAN that hunger, anger and frustration forced many business operators to participate in the strike.

“The people are merrily surviving with their means of livelihood and not prospering; with the increase in the price of fuel, it has become unbearable,” Adewusi said.

He said the people mobilised themselves because it was time for them to take their destiny in their hands so as to make the desired change.

Mr Phillip Abakonko, General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public and Technical Recreation Employees, said that Nigerians would be reluctant to discontinue the strike without achieving their aim.

“Business people cannot sell at a give-away price; it is what they buy that they sell. The situation is already plunging many into hunger so they are not ready to give up,” he said.

Abakonko regretted that states such as Ebonyi, Enugu and Anambra were unwilling to pay the N18,000 minimum wage, and wondered how business would thrive in such states. (NAN)