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Religious sentiments won’t affect
strike decision - NLC
By Bassey Udo
Snr.
Correspondent, Abuja
Labour has warned
that its decision to embark on the next phase of the nationwide strike to
protest hikes in the prices of fuel products would not be influenced by
religious sentiments.
Rising from its
meeting Tuesday night, Labour said if by Sunday night the Federal Government
fails to revert to the old fuel prices, it would call workers out for mass
action.
Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) President Adams Oshiomhole said in Abuja on Tuesday, before the
commencement of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, that the
decision would be guided by the sentiments of Nigerian workers and other
citizens.
He expressed the
view just as Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Maccido implored the NLC to defer the
proposed strike as it would adversely affect Muslims during this period of
Ramadan.
Oshiomhole
insisted that “anybody who thinks he can use religion to fool us or
divide our ranks is joking because the people understand the issues involved very
well”.
He accused the
government of always using all sorts of sentiments to frustrate popular
agitations and urged traditional rulers and other groups who may wish to appeal
to Labour and civil society to reconsider their decision on the strike, to first
appeal to government to rethink its decision to inflict pain on the people
through incessant hikes in fuel prices.
His words:
“Any traditional ruler who wants to appeal to us, and wants to ask those
feeling the pain to continue to bear the pain, while refusing to ask those
inflicting the punishment to stop the punishment, is not expecting us to take
the appeal seriously.
“We will be
guided purely by the sentiments of the Nigerian workers and the people as we
understand it between Muslims and Christians. There is nothing in the Koran
that forbids Muslims from demanding their rights during the month of Ramadan,
which in itself is an expression of sacrifice through abstinence.
“If
government knew that fasting was approaching and it chooses to inflict punishment
on Nigerians by increasing fuel prices the way they have done, knowing fully
well that it is going to push up cost of living and cost of procuring goods and
services for fasting, that same government cannot think about people who are at
the receiving end of the policy.
“The
struggle for the right of Nigerians for improved standard of living and
struggle against arbitrary decision-making which have profound impact on the
lives of the people is no contradictory to the values of Islam, which is about
peace and justice”.
Though Oshiomhole
declined to give insight into the resolutions reached at the Ibrahim Mantu led
Palliative Committee meeting held on Tuesday, it was learnt from authoritative
sources that the meeting pushed for immediate relief incentives to create
confidence and trust to enable the committee do its assignment.
According to the
sources, while the NLC and civil society groups demanded a reversal to old fuel
prices, as they claim not to have confidence in government palliatives, other
members rooted for a significant reduction in price to between N46 and N49 a
litre, to show that the government is ready to move from its rigid position and
dialogue.
The decision of the meeting, according to Oshiomhole, would
be made known at the end of the NEC meeting of the NLC, which continued till
the early hours of this morning.
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