A late-night meeting between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour on Monday night at the State House in Abuja ended in an deadlock.
“The rally goes on and it is part of their constitutional responsibility to ensure that the rally is peaceful,” said the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, after the meeting with government representatives on the eve of the protest.
The meeting, sponsored by George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, was closed to the media.
Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General of the Federation, attended the meeting, as did the Ministers of Labour, Agriculture, Finance, Budget, and Planning, as well as the Federation’s Head of Service.
The country’s two labour centres were also in attendance.
Joe Ajaero, National President of the NLC, led the gathering, while Festus Osifo led the Trade Union Congress delegation.
The federal government had requested that the NLC suspend its scheduled nationwide rally on February 27 and 28, 2024.
Muhammad Idris, Minister of Information, announced after Monday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that the Federal Government had met nearly all of the workers’ union’s demands.
The NLC remarked that the Federal Government must put on its thinking cap and implement its agreement with organised labour, as well as solve Nigeria’s approaching economic survival problem.
Nigeria is grappling with rising inflation, food inflation, a currency crisis, economic hardship, and a high cost of living as a result of the removal of petrol subsidies, which has caused protests in various areas of the country.
Despite the government’s subtle pressure to cancel the upcoming strike, the NLC stated that its members will not be frightened into abandoning their planned statewide action.
