President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, accused labour unions of harming those they claim to represent.
Onanuga suggested that the unions’ actions were politically motivated, and not in the interest of the people.
The statement came in response to the nationwide strike declared by Organised Labour to press the demand for a new minimum wage.
“It’s saddening that Labour could go to this extreme. But it is not surprising to the perceptive mind. Labour is harming the Nigerian people they claim to be fighting for,” Onanuga said.
“Today, many sick Nigerians cannot access medical care at government hospitals. Not even those with critical medical conditions.”
“It appears Labour is playing politics by other means. Many of the affiliates of the two central unions, the NLC and TUC, are members and supporters of the Labour Party.
“They logically bear ill will and grudges against the Tinubu administration. Otherwise, the issue they claim to be fighting for cannot be resolved by blackmail or sabotage; they cannot even be resolved unilaterally by the Federal Government; the Labour leaders will still have to return to the negotiating table,” Onanuga said.
News Central reported that despite government appeals, the nationwide strike commenced on Monday, with unions insisting on their demands.
The labour unions advocate for a new minimum wage of N494,000, while the Nigerian government proposes N60,000.
Minister Mohammed Idris has warned that the unions’ demand, which totals N9.5 trillion annually, is not sustainable. Idris said the demand posees a threat to the economy and the welfare of over 200 million Nigerians.