Workers in most states of the federation on Wednesday shunned a directive of a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress to embark on an indefinite strike due to the increase in the pump price of petrol from N86.50 to N145 by the Federal Government.
Despite this, however, labour and civil society organisations held rallies in most states to press home their demand that the Federal Government should reverse the price hike.
There were protests on Wednesday in Lagos, Abuja, Osun, Benin and Kwara among other states in compliance with the directive of the NLC, which declared a nationwide on Tuesday
Talks between the government and organised labour collapsed on Tuesday night as representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress walked out of a meeting with a Federal Government’s delegation, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir Lawal.
President of a faction of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, had given the go ahead for the strike to commence on Wednesday after the parties in the negotiation failed to reach an amicable settlement.
The Joe Ajaero-led NLC faction and the Trade Union Congress, led by Mr. Bobboi Kaigama, had distanced themselves from the strike while the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers as well as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Association of Nigeria had last week also said the unions would not join the strike.
The Ajaero faction had earlier in the afternoon on Tuesday attended a separate meeting with the government and indicated that it would not participate in the strike.
In the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday, civil servants turned up for work at different ministries, departments and agencies.
Our correspondents, who went round the FCT, observed that the Federal Secretariat was a beehive of activities, contrary to the directive of the Wabba-led NLC.
At the ministries of finance, budget and national planning as well as that of industry, trade and investment, workers reported for work.
Apart from civil servants, banks and other offices were opened for business as early as 8am when one of our correspondents visited the places.
Deposit money banks, located in the Central Business District, such as Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa, First City Monument Bank, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Skye Bank Plc recorded huge number of patronage from customers.
An official in the ministry of finance, who spoke with inner room said some of her colleagues at the ministry as of Tuesday night had been discussing on the telephone on whether to obey the directive to go on strike or not.
She said, “You know that there has been this division among the labour unions as to what the direction of the industrial action would take.
‘‘Apart from this, there was a court order stopping the strike; so, no one was fully sure of what to do.
“As a result of this division, we don’t know what to do and since it is the government that gave me job and not the NLC, I have to obey the directive to report to duty because we now have a government that does not tolerate nonsense.”
The Director, Information, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mr. Salisu Dambatta, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that workers at the ministry boycotted the NLC’s directive.
He said, “We didn’t join the strike that was called by the NLC. In fact, if you come to the ministry now, you will think today is Monday owing to the level of activities going on.”
Attempts to get the comment of the spokesperson for the ministry, Mr Charles Dafe, were not successful as calls and a text message sent to his mobile did not connect as of the time of filing this report.
At the aviation ministry under the Federal Ministry of Transportation, most workers of the organisation turned up for work.
The spokesperson for the ministry, Mr. James Odaudu, said the ministry’s workers did not join any industrial action.
“We are all here. Work is going on here and there’s nothing like strike,” he said.
Workers also resumed for work in large numbers at the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
At health institutions and hospitals in the FCT, including the Federal Medical Centre, National Hospital and General Hospitals in Asokoro and Garki, workers were busy attending to patients.
No strike in Lagos, Kaduna, Bauchi, Niger, Rivers, Anambra, Bayelsa, Niger
In the Lagos State Government secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, workers seemed oblivious of the call to embark on strike by the NLC.
The secretariat was full of activities on Wednesday as many civil servants went about their normal business.
One of them, who chose to be identified simply as Dare, told our correspondent that it was the feeling of many of the workers that the labour unions were polarised and would not be able to save any worker who obeyed from government’s wrath.
He said, “Government had bought all of them. We don’t want more trouble; that is why many of us came.”
In Kaduna State on Wednesday, workers shunned the strike order by the NLC while the labour in the state did not hold any rally.
Also, the northern socio-cultural organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum, said the Federal Government’s deregulation policy was in order.
Banks, financial institutions, schools as well as offices of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company were opened for business.
The state secretariat, housing all ministries in the state, was opened to workers.
One of our correspondents observed that workers were working in various offices at the secretariat.
However, the Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of the NLC, Adamu Ango, said they avoided demonstration to avert bloodshed.
He said there was a plan by some faceless people to infiltrate the movement to attack the protesters.
He added, “Why we did not lead a procession is to avoid bloodshed because a violent group has been hired to throw stones at us and cause a semblance of a fight.
The ACF in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim, in Kaduna, said the deregulation of the downstream oil sector was a progressive policy.
It called on the Federal Government not only to provide palliative measures that would cushion the effect of the sudden withdrawal of fuel subsidy, but also channel the gains of the deregulation into infrastructural development.
The statement read, “That the Federal Government’s new fuel pricing and supply framework, which allows independent marketers and any Nigerian entity to source their own foreign exchange and import petrol is a welcome progressive policy.
“ACF wholly supports the total deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector which will promote competition and private participation.”
The Inner room gathered that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities met last night at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in Kaduna State to take a decision on whether to comply with the NLC order or shun it.
In his reaction, the Public Relations Officer of a Kaduna-based non-governmental organisation, the Southern Kaduna Indigene Progressives Forum, Luka Binniyat, said the strike in the state might not be successful because of poor mobilisation by the NLC.
Also, civil servants in Bauchi State on Wednesday defied the directive of the NLC for all workers to remain at home.
One of our correspondents, who went round to several government ministries, departments and agencies within the state metropolis, observed that civil servants in the state resumed in the offices as usual.
At the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Planning, Bauchi Radio Corporation, Bauchi State Internal Revenue Service, and many ministries located at the state secretariat, most workers were seen at their duty posts.
Banks, motor parks, shops and many business offices within the metropolis opened for activities.
Residents of Bauchi were also seen going about their normal activities.
A civil servant at the Bauchi State Internal Revenue Service, who spoke on condition of anonymity with one of our correspondents, said the strike would fail.
That strike will not work whether in Bauchi or elsewhere in Nigeria.”
Speaking on the matter, the Chairman, Joint Negotiation Council of the NLC in Bauchi State, Aliyu Mohammed, told The inner room in a telephone interview that the union in the state had complied with the directive of the national body and had joined the strike.
He alleged that thugs were sponsored to disrupt the peace in the state.
Mohammed added, “You saw what happened yesterday (Tuesday) when thugs were sponsored and sent out to disrupt the peace in the state.
“Labour, as a responsible organisation, has to consider the fragile nature of our state and take actions that will not compound what happened yesterday.”
In Anambra State, banks, schools, judiciary workers and some tertiary institutions shunned the strike.
The state chairman of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, Mr Mark Ifezue, said it was improper to embark on strike when a court in the land had granted an injunction stopping the strike.
Banks in the state, as early as 8am, had started attending to customers as if nothing was at stake.
A bank official, who did not want to be named, said they did not have any signal from their union about any strike.
“We don’t know anything about the strike. We didn’t get any signal from our union directing any strike,” the banker added.
Both public and private schools in the state opened for business.
Mrs Chigozie Eze at the Community School, Agulu, said, “Nobody has informed us officially about any strike. Maybe by tomorrow (Thursday) things may change; but today, we are busy with class work. Everybody is busy conducting continuous assessment tests.”
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe University and the Federal College of Education, Umunze, normal academic activities were going on when our correspondent visited.
Immediate Past Chairman of ASUU, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Ike Odimegwu, told one of our correspondents that ASUU had joined the strike.
He expressed surprise that academic activities were going on, on campus.
At the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, there was partial compliance with the industrial action.
While some workers attended to work, others did not in compliance with the NLC strike.
At the state secretariat, workers had assembled as early as 9am but were not working.
They were seen in clusters discussing the strike.
Addressing some of the workers at the NULGE secretariat, the NLC chairman in the state, Mr Jerry
Nnubia, urged the workers to persevere in their struggle to ensure that the Federal Government reverted petrol pump price to N86 per litre.
He said no worker should be afraid of the government’s threat of “no work, no pay.”
Nnubia stated, “We are used to such threat; so, nobody should panic over it.
The TUC in the state had dissociated itself from the strike.
In a circular, signed by its state chairman, Ifeanyi Okechukwu, the congress directed workers from Level 7 and above to ignore the strike and be at their respective duty posts as required.
In Bayelsa State, workers defied the strike order and reported for work as usual.
The main secretariat and offices in Yenegoa, the state capital, opened for work as civil servants reported early to work.
Banks also opened for business.
Some of the workers, who turned up for work, said they were not sure if the strike was still holding, stating that they were yet to get an update on the strike from the NLC.
However, courts in the state capital did not open just as the state House of Assembly reportedly did not sit.
A civil servant in the state Ministry of Women Affairs, Mr. Tonye Ayama, said his office was open for work.
He said, “Yes, we are here to work but just few persons have reported due to the NLC strike over the removal of fuel subsidy and hike in price of petroleum product.
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