Strike begins tomorrow, says Labour
- Police urge dialogue, pledge protection
By Yetunde Majekodunmi, Alex Olise, Abiodun Fanoro, Lagos and Segun Aiyeoyenikan, Abuja
AN indefinite nation-wide strike begins tomorrow. That is, barring a last minute capitulation, meaning a reversal of the prices of petroleum products by the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
A statement by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday stated that even though the union regrets taking Nigerians through another round of strike, all attempts to obtain a price reversal from the government over the fuel price increases had failed.
However, the Nigeria Police yesterday urged Labour to embrace dialogue, while asking Nigerians to go about their business without fear of molestation.
"The NLC regrets to inform that the Federal Government has still not taken the appropriate steps to address the immediate grievances of the Nigerian people generated by its harsh and unbearable petroleum pricing policy."
NLC however, said the strike must be peaceful and devoid of any form of violence.
Labour had on October 14 suspended for two weeks the first phase of the "mass action" protest, which the union described as warning strike. The latest one would have begun a fortnight ago but for the Id-el-Fitri celebrations. Labour therefore put off the strike for another two weeks.
NLC explained that the action beginning tomorrow would be an indefinite one.
While explaining the rationale for the strike, NLC said "even the President in the recent national broadcast said he was not aware that Kerosene sold at a higher price than petrol."
Before yesterday's statement from Labour, the Union had noted "both the NLC and civil society have afforded the Federal Government so much time to set in motion any machinery for price reversal, while the NLC had also returned to the Senator Ibrahim Mantu Committee on cushioning effects in furtherance of commitment to dialogue".
The statement, signed by the NLC President, Adams Oshiomhole, added that "from all indications however, this administration remains insensitive to the suffering of the people and the destruction it is inflicting on the economy through these unbearable prices."
"This action by the NLC is necessary to enable the government to appreciate that Nigerian people remain bitter and angry over these harsh prices and the failure of government to respect our wishes for immediate price reversal and for constructive dialogue to guarantee price stability in the medium to long terms. As Nigerians who have no other country, we have a compelling duty to make government listen and to ensure that governance remains in the domain of public welfare. Nigerians cannot continue to be called upon to make sacrifices on the altar of policies that do so much harm to our welfare."
The NLC president appealed to Nigerians on the need to make sacrifices "today" in the interest of democracy and good governance, adding: "this situation will degenerate even further if this government is not made to appreciate that Nigerians cannot any longer carry the burden of policies involving no concern for public welfare.
The NLC statement also warned the Nigeria Police over what it called "continued intimidation of its members".
"We also use the opportunity of this statement to warn the Nigeria Police that the Nigerian workers shall refuse to be intimidated by any attempt to turn the nation into a Police state. Nigerians will not allow their rights to be limited by arbitrary use of state power. Our rights to strike and protest shall not be enjoyed at the pleasure of the Police or the state", the statement said.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun has however, advised Labour to dialogue with the Federal Government over rampant increases in fuel price.
Also speaking with The Guardian yesterday, Oshiomhole said the Congress and its civil society allies would proceed on the strike tomorrow except the government revisits the pre-September 21 price tag on petroleum products in the country.
Reacting to utterances from government quarters on the N10 slash in the price of kerosene, Oshiomhole said the reduction is not enough as the prices of the product would still remain too expensive for the common Nigerian.
According to him, since the product currently sells at between N62 and 65, a reduction of N10 would still make the price too high for ordinary Nigerian to afford.
Besides, he said, what Labour and its allies want is that` government stops the continuous increases in prices of petroleum products in the country and not only kerosene.
"Picking up kerosene and leaving the other products out would not solve the problem. The problems of the rural poor are also aggravated by the increases in the other price items. And even the N10 they reduce didn't go far enough to reduce the price to the old rate. The N10 reduction does not solve the problem because even with the reduction, the product still costs more than it cost before the increment. They increased the product from about N49 to N65. So what they have done is merely to remove N10 from the N20 they added.
"So, I don't think the rural people are impressed by this fact and certainly we are not impressed too," Oshiomhole said.
On some paid advertorials in the papers calling for non-participation in the strike, the Labour leader alleged government complicity.
According to him, government in its "wisdom" allegedly sponsored most of the advertorials.
"Government sponsored most of the adverts. By doing these, government in essence is contradicting its anti-corruption crusade by sponsoring and indirectly enriching some individuals and groups to issue statements, which are funded by the state. And as far as we are concerned, Nigerians believe and know that these statements are being funded and sponsored by government."
Meanwhile, the president of the Trade Union Congress, (TUC) Mrs. Peace Obiajulu, yesterday told The Guardian that all senior workers in the country would embark on the strike.
According to her, the court order restricting the NLC from embarking on the action does not affect JUC.
She added that all the 26 affiliates of the Congress are expected to down tools from tomorrow.
Also speaking in the same vein, the president of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr. Louis Ogbeifun, told The Guardian that with effect from tomorrow, both the country's upstream and downstream oil production activities would be shut down.
According to him, all members of the union would embark on the strike.
The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria has also directed aviation workers to shut down the country's air space.
The directive, contained in a letter addressed to all branches of the association, instructed the branch executives to ensure that no activity takes place throughout the proposed strike.
President of the association, Mr. Solomon Ohioma, declared: "We must have a way of controlling our government. If the government thinks that we cannot talk to them on a round-table, then we have to do it in any way we know they can hear us."
The Inspector General of Police in a four page statement noted that Labour's right to declare a trade dispute is inalienable, but expressed fear that the one being called to begin tomorrow is "quite frightening and disturbing".
Noting that Labour does not on its own support violence, the police chief urged the organisers of the strike to explore dialogue with the government on its grievances.
"Caution and discretion are very necessary, especially at this critical moment of our national life", Balogun said, adding: "The Nigeria Police therefore uses this medium to sue for peace and hereby call on labour to continue to dialogue with the government on how to cushion the effects of the increase of petroleum products on the masses".
According to the IG, the peaceful approach of using dialogue is nationally and internationally acclaimed and is the most rational and best practices in any civilised society.
Balogun said he recognised that labour leaders "have the interest of the nation and the citizenry in particular at heart" but urged them to bury the hatchet and embrace peaceful negotiations and dialogue.
The police chief said it was needless to remind all and sundry that the Force has a duty to maintain law and order in the society". He therefore urged all Nigerians to go about their lawful duties and legitimate businesses without fear of harassment giving assurance of police protection.
Balogun pledged to provide security to all banks, hospitals, schools financial institutions, NNPC, MTEL, NEPA installations as well as the federal and state civil service, secretariats, parastatals, market major parks and filling stations among others.
He threatened: "any person or group of persons who threaten public peace will be promptly arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law".
The Labour Civil Societies Coalition (LACSCO) also insisted at the weekend that the strike would begin as scheduled.
The body, which is organising the protests, has urged Nigerians abroad to join the struggle by picketing and protesting at the country's foreign missions.
Speaking with The Guardian on telephone at the weekend, representatives of the group, Chima Ubani of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) and Bamidele Aturu of the United Action for Democracy (UAD), said the injunction by the Court of Appeal stopping the NLC from going on strike, only barred Labour and not LASCO, made up of over 20 different organisations.
The LASCO representatives said the Abuja court could stop the strike only if it could enter judgement against each and every member of the coalition.
Ubani said: "We are using their (government) tactics, we know with them all evils are possible, including arrest. Measures against this have been included in our game-plan and strategy to prosecute the struggle."
The group said the weekend directive to the NNPC by President Olusegun Obasanjo to reduce the price of kerosene confirmed its position that deregulation or not, the government has a duty and power to reverse the present prices of energy products.
Aturu and Ubani argued that the fight against what they called "Economic enslavery of Nigerians by the Obsasnjo government" was an international one in which all Nigerians irrespective of where they reside must participate."
Activist lawyer, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi describe the fight as "A revolt by all Nigerians where ever they may be, against a government that has reduced Nigerians to paupers in the midst of over-flowing plenty".
