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”.
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