Lawyers Back Suspension Of Strike

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) says it supports the organised labour’s decision to suspend its strike because it will pave way for genuine negotiations on the fuel subsidy removal.

This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday and signed by the NBA President Joseph Daudu.

The statement said it was clear that there were many unanswered questions raised by labour relating to certain critical issues of good governance, accountability and transparency in government.

It called on the organised labour to ensure that “it tables before the Justice Alfa Belgore-led committee, which has been constituted to negotiate with it, the need for the restoration of refineries to full production capacity.”

“The NBA also wants the organised labour to ensure the reduction of wastage and belt-tightening measures and anti-corruption crusade within the petroleum industry,” the statement said.

It challenged the organised labour to ensure that the Federal Government embarked on capital projects such as the Port Harcourt–Enugu, the Lagos-Ilorin and the Abuja-Lokoja expressways, as promised.

It called on the Federal Government to fulfill its promise to construct modern railway and road transport systems, health and educational facilities.

The statement expressed the hope that “issues such as these would be tabled before the Belgore-led committee”

“The NBA has also mandated its members, who had hitherto withdrawn their services as a result of the strike, to appear in court to commence their practice.”

It also commiserated with the families of those who died in the course of protesting against fuel subsidy removal, and called on the federal and state governments to pay compensation to them.

The statement said the NBA had mandated its members to render free legal services to families of those killed in the protests across the country.