The organised labour yesterday made good its resolve to embark on a nationwide peaceful protest against the removal of petrol subsidy and the hardship the policy has visited on Nigerians even as the federal government runs from pillar to post trying to mitigate the unintended consequences of its hasty action.
The protest led by the president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Joe Ajaero, and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Mr Festus Osifo was joined by its affiliates including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU),
The protesters displayed placards which carried inscriptions such as ‘Tinubu listen to Nigerians, not IMF and World Bank, Let the poor breathe’, ‘Stop the looting, tax the rich and susidise the poor’, ‘Federal government, end anti-poor policies’, ‘Reduce the cost of governance Now! Save the masses from poverty and hunger’, ‘End fuel price increase, Fix local refineries, Stop naira devaluation,’ etc.
“Let’s Unite to Emancipate the People,” “FG why Protect the Subsidy Criminals,” “Workers are dying from fuel price increase, inflation and Insecurity,” “We are workers not slaves.”
However, the action was short-lived as President Bola Tinubu dangled the coming on stream of the Port Harcourt Refinery bait before the labour leaders who swallowed it subsequently called off the protest.
In the heat of the protests held simultaneously in all the states of the federation and the Abuja, the president met with the NLC and TUC leaders.
The meeting was the first that Tinubu was personally involved since the organised labour declared the intention to embark on protest over the removal of subsidy announced by the president during his inauguration on May 29.
Presidential spokesman, Mr Dele Alake said in a statement after the meeting held in the evening of yesterday in Abuja that the two labour centres decided to suspend the nationwide protest after getting assurances from the president that their demands would be met.
“The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, and that of Trade Union Congress, Comrade Festus Usifo, held a meeting with President @officialABAT Wednesday evening at the State House, Abuja.
“Consequent upon the fruitful and frank discussion with President Tinubu and their confidence in his ability to encourage open and honest consideration of all the issues put forward by the Labour Movement, the Labour Leaders resolved to stop further protest.
“They opted for further constructive engagement with the government to resolve all outstanding issues as they affect the working people and Nigerians in general.
“President Tinubu gave his commitment to the Labour leaders that the Port Harcourt refineries will start production by December 2023 after the completion of the ongoing rehabilitation contract between NNPCL and Italian firm, Maire Tecnimont SpA.
“President Tinubu assured the Labour leaders that he would continue to work for the best interest of Nigeria while pleading with the Labour leaders to join hands with him to birth a better and economically buoyant country,” Alake said.
In a joint statement by Ajaero and Osifo, the labour leaders said the president had taken steps to avert further industrial actions by the workers.
“It is pertinent to inform Nigerians that the extent of the success of the protest is underlined by the request of the President of the federal republic of Nigeria; Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu to meet with the leadership of the NLC and TUC in a closed-door session.
“The engagement was fruitful that immense mileage was obtained with regards to the issues that bogged down the work of the Presidential Committee on Subsidy removal and necessitated the protest viz; He committed to an immediate restructuring of the framework for engagement in line with the input of the labour leaders.

“He let out a certainty that the Port Harcourt Refinery will commence production by December this year. He pledged to ensure that agreement is reached on the wage award for Nigerian workers immediately.
“He promised to unveil a workable roadmap to the CNG alternative next week. On the strength of the president’s pledge and commitment, we have decided to return to a new and reinvigorated dialogue process to allow for full implementation,” they said.
The labour leaders thanked Nigerians “while we wait for the government to fulfill its own part of the understanding as agreed with His Excellency; the President.”
When asked if the NLC would call off its planned protests following the meeting with the president, Ajaero said the union’s leadership would meet on the matter.
“No one person can call it off. That’s why I say we’ll have to go back to the office. So that they will look at it, the excos look at it before they come up. And by tomorrow, the NLC will equally have their NEC meeting, to look at the bigger picture,” he said.
Addressing the national assembly lawmakers earlier yesterday during the protest, Ajaero who spoke on behalf of the workers, asked the government to reverse the increase in the price petrol, school fees and value added tax.
He also demanded immediate fixing of the refineries.
“We demand the implementation in good faith of all resolutions at Congress jointly signed with the government and TUC; immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the government, including the recently hiked PMS price, school fees and VAT, the fixing of all modular refineries; Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna.
“In the entire statement made by Mr President, no comment was made about it. And we can’t continue to run an import-driven energy system. PMS seems to be the life-wire of the economy of Nigeria. And this is a natural resource given to us by God, we have no business refining abroad, we have no business importing.”
Ajaero countered the president’s July 31 nationwide broadcast when he said N1 trillion had been saved since his government stopped the payment of fuel subsidy.
He claimed that the committee that the federal government set up to negotiate with the unions disclosed that no kobo had been saved since subsidy was removed.
“Mr President talked about N1trn saved. The committee when we met told us that no one kobo has been saved so far. Therefore, we have not agreed on what to pay anywhere,” Ajaero stated.
Responding, the senate chief whip, Mr Ali Ndume, who spoke on behalf of the national assembly lawmakers, said either Tinubu or Vice President Kashim Shettima should directly negotiate with the organised labour.
Ndume asked the labour leaders and protesters to call off the nationwide protest and give the senate one week to address their demands.
“We have keenly followed what is going on when we realized that there was a breakdown in the discussions between the Presidency and the NLC. I want to assure you that we will find a permanent solution to this.
“Please give us one week and we will make progress and if you are not satisfied with the progress we are making, then you can take further action.”
The senator also said a committee had been set up to look at the demands of organised labour.