Labour declares total strike Monday

SOLIDARITY: From left: Gen.Sec of NLC, Owei Lakemfa; NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar; Deputy President, Kiri Mohammed and others at NLC Press Conference declaring General Strike from Monday, January 9, 2012. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan.

UNLESS the Federal Government reverts fuel price to N65 per litre, Nigeria’s economy would be shut down as from Monday, January 9, the Organised Labour has threatened.
Rising from a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, yesterday, over government’s removal of fuel subsidy on January 1, which has shot fuel price to between N138 to N250 per litre in different parts of the country, leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), said the strikes and mass protests would be total.
This is coming as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria (CRCN) and some Nigerians living in London endorsed Labour’s decision and vowed to participate in the protests.
In a joint statement by Comrades Abdulwaheed Omar (NLC president) and Peter Esele (TUC president-general), entitled: “In Defence of the Nigerian People on Fuel Price Increases,”  Organised Labour said by removing subsidy without fixing the refineries among other things, the government breached a 2009 agreement.
‘There is a subsisting understanding between Congress and the Federal Government in 2009 that removal of subsidy will not commence until certain conditions have been met. These include the fixing of all the refineries and building new ones, regular power supply, and provision of other social infrastructure such as railways and repair of roads as well as eliminating the corruption associated with supply and distribution of petroleum products in the downstream sector of the oil industry.

“After exhaustive deliberations and consultations with all sections of the populace, the NLC, TUC and their pro-people allies demand that the Presidency immediately reverses fuel prices to N65. If the Government fails to do so, they direct that indefinite general strikes, mass rallies and street protests be held across the country with effect from Monday, January 9, 2012.  From that Monday, January 9, 2012, all offices, oil production centres, air and sea ports, fuel stations, markets, banks, amongst others will be shut down,” they said.
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