This Last NLC's Strike
By Udochi Nwaodu
"How are you warming up for the impending NLC-organised strike come October 11?" "Which strike? You don't seem to be current with events in the country. You are too busy chasing after money that you don't even read newspapers or listen to news. Well, for your information strike by NLC has been outlawed by Justice Ukeje's court in Abuja. According to her the Office of the President of Nigeria Labour Congress does not even exist in the Nigerian Constitution. NLC, for all you care, has no right to organise strikes over increases in petroleum products prices. After all, that is not a labour matter. Gaskia! So relax, there is nothing like strike again in Nigeria."
"I pity you and your Chief Judge. If you like don't go and stock up food items for your family. This coming strike is the grand finale. If you like call it valedictory strike. We will know which of the two Presidents is dear to the hearts of Nigerians - the one ruling the country or the one overseeing labour unions "
"Let me also tell you, the Senate has passed the final reading of the bill that will scatter and dismember NLC. The potency of NLC to organise mass rallies is destroyed, thus the labour body is now a living dead. Very soon, and I am sure before your October 11, the President will sign the bill into law. All you strike mongers should be prepared to go to jail and maybe, start mobilising prisoners to embark on hunger strike!"
"You will be greatly disappointed if you think NLC has been intimidated into irrelevance just because a few misguided senators gathered themselves and hurriedly passed the anti-labour bill. And to think that the Judge had to wait until the bill was passed to give her judgment on a matter that has been in the coolers since January this year is ridiculous. I must let you know that the majority of Nigerians welcome the boldness of NLC in this struggle to free Nigeria from bad leadership. "
"We shall see who is in charge of the situation, the government or your outlawed NLC."
"You know one re-assuring thing; Oshiomhole is not fighting for his own selfish interest. That man must be as comfortable as any of our top level personalities in Nigeria today. What is the hope of Nigerians without the likes of people Oshiomhole and Gani Fawehinmi and other great comrades that have risked their lives for the sake of the masses? Even if there is no NLC today, God can raise a new entity, completely obscure, to fight our collective cause. Have you really put the Nigerian issue in its proper perspective? Here is a country rated the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world. At a time the world oil prices are rising daily reaching the peak of $50 per barrel in 21 years and countries are raking in huge petro-dollar, the Nigerian government is busy raising prices of petroleum products. I fail to understand the logic."
"The logic is very simple; I don't see any confusion at all. Nigeria has deregulated the downstream oil sector. Individuals and companies wishing to import fuel are free to do so from whatever country they deem fit. You forget that crude oil is the raw material needed by refineries. As the price goes up, the cost of input goes up. Naturally, this is transferred to the final consumer in the form of higher product prices. So, as you collect huge money from selling your crude oil you vomit it from importing fuel at higher prices. This is O'L economics and yet you pride yourself as a graduate."
"As over graduate tell me: we have four refineries in this country; are you saying the government has given up on all of them? We are told that the excess crude oil income from January to August this year alone is N629 billion. All that our leaders are clamouring is how to share this money among themselves. No one is talking about making the refineries work so that importation of petroleum products will stop. See how selfish our leaders are!"
"For your information that money has been shared. The federal government collected half of the money and left the balance for states, local governments and oil producing communities. This is why I said you should be current."
"This is really sad! They just increased the prices of petroleum products and then settle down to share their booty. In other words, they are daring the populace, and you still doubt the potency of NLC to organise mass protest against this unpopular policy?"
"Well, at least they will use the money to construct good roads, build more hospitals, supply drugs to the hospitals, fund education, and maintain other socioeconomic infrastructures. I doubt if the money will be enough for all that."
"Can you hear yourself? Which roads, which hospitals and which schools? You just watch out. In a few days the exchange rate of Naira to the US dollar will rise as your leaders convert their share of the loot into foreign currencies for easy transfer to overseas bank accounts. We will see which governor will be arrested again in London for currency trafficking. If they are sincere why share that money? Why not use it to bring the refineries back to life or even construct new ones. All we hear is that government will no longer subsidise oil prices. If government cannot subsidise petroleum prices tell me why Nigerians must subsidise government's inefficiencies. "
"At least they have made it possible for you to import fuel yourself, if you have the money. Business people who raise the money by bank loan or their personal resources must recover their costs and make some gain by trading in oil products. So my friend, instead of complaining, why don't you take advantage of the opportunities offered by government to enrich yourself? "
"At the expense of the masses? That is blood money as far as I am concerned! You talk as if you have become an international oil dealer, and yet you will soon be begging for money to complete your transport fare."
"Don't mind those taxi and bus drivers. They take advantage of every little increase in fuel prices to double their fares. Very soon the market women will increase the prices of their wares, landlords will increase the rents of their houses, schools will jack up the fees paid by their pupils, and every other price will go up! Na wa for this country."
"So you know this much, err? And you feel more justified to blame those people you have mentioned than the source of the problem. They are merely reacting to government's actions'.
"Are you saying that increase in price levels because of a small increase in petroleum product prices is justified? Can't the citizens be patriotic, and be their brothers' keepers?"
"You call it a small increase in price? N 10 increase from N43 to N53 or 24% is a small increase? In the east and north, am sure they will be paying anything from N60 a litre. To think that petrol was selling for N26 only June 2003, and now it has more than doubled. That was how the increases came, gradually from N26 to N34, N38, then N43 and now N53/litre. Surely, this is not the last of increases in petroleum products prices. By this deregulation fervour, if the crude oil prices continue to rise we may soon be buying petrol at about N60100 a litre. Where are we going in this country? This is just the beginning of hard times, you know?"
"Don't worry it will soon be 'uhuru' for this country as soon as the refineries are fully privatized. It will not be as bad as you predict. Have faith in our President. They will also license private refineries soon."
"So it has to take privatization for the refineries to function effectively in spite of the huge money voted every year by successive regimes on this project? It is just like Ajaokuta Steel Complex in Kogi State. Every succeeding government since that project commenced has taken their turns in reawarding the contract. Even the technology has long become obsolete and the world has moved on in steel business. Yet here we are trying to complete a white elephant project based on 1970 technology."
"Let us complete it first and it will be said at least we completed what we started. Our thing is our thing! This government will take credit for being the regime that finally completed the project. Whether the technology was developed when Adam was in elementary school is entirely another kettle of fish."
"That is why the government deserves the kind of reactions it is getting from every quarter. I understand that yesterday October 1 2004 a group of militiamen in Port Harcourt will formally declare civil war on oil producing companies in the Delta region and make that region ungovernable. Meanwhile, MASSOB is spoiling for war. OPC is at alert in the West, while APC is watching with keen interest in the North. Virtually every tribe in the country has their own militia men. The youths are becoming more restive than before because of the failure of the social contract they have with the government. Man, this strike must work, or else, we will be at the whims and caprices of some misguided government officials."
"Let me tell you, with or without Oshiomhole and his NLC, Nigerians can take care of themselves. Nigeria has a self-cleansing mechanism that is divine. You have forgotten what happened during the terror reign of General Abacha. When he thought he had cowed and intimidated all his perceived enemies, from nowhere some people who called themselves Group of 34 withstood and challenged him. You have forgotten also that NLC was a government parastatal under a sole administrator during most of IBB and Abacha regimes. Yet, were there no paralysing strikes then? When IBB thought he had broken the ranks of ASUU, NANS, MBA, human rights and pro-democracy groups, were there no strikes that brought the economy to its knees? I tell you, even if NLC has not taken the initiative to call the strike, another group definitely will."
"Well, to be on the safe side, I will make little provisions for my family, not that I believe anything will happen. Strike is dead in Nigeria, courtesy of Justice Ukeje and the Senators."
"You can call it the last strike, at least before the benediction of NLC. Whether Mr. President signs the bill into law on or before 11 October makes no difference. Strike is the only effective panacea against oppression. This is supposed to be a democratic set up. If government decides to militarise the regime, then it will be given the appropriate military response. It's not fair to beat a child and ask him not to cry. This last NLC strike will be a photo-finish, a test of the will of Nigerians."
Nwaodu writes from Lagos.
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