As the ongoing nationwide strike and mass protest declared by both the NLC and TUC enters Day 5, National President of Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Comrade Samson Ugwoke, tells protesters that Labour will not back down until fuel is returned to N65 per litre. MOSES JOHN was there.
The NLC has already declared a total strike and mass protest. As an affiliate on the Congress, how is your union going to key into this process?
SSANU is a very responsible affiliate of NLC and we have always been involved in all its activities. As you know, the reason for the strike is very clear; it involves all our members. We are all concerned as workers – the university sector and also the citizens of this country. We have met and sent the authorities letters from all branches and all Nigerian universities and all university centres across the country to comply fully with the indefinite strike and mass protest. So, we have mobilised our members across the country. Apart from the authority letters and with the attachment of NLC communiqué, we have also sent text messages to all chairmen, secretaries and treasurers. So we have mobilised our members enough for this action.
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If the government calls you for dialogue?
No, we take directory from NLC. I was at the NLC National Executive Council (NEC) meeting; we don`t talk of dialogue. How do you dialogue? We met the government only once at the State House and, if I may quote the President, Mr. President said that the interactive section would be continuous and he was going to direct his Labour Minister to always invite us for such interaction until we reach conclusion. We were surprised that on the 1st of January, 2012, the New Year package that the President had for us was 100 per cent removal of oil subsidy when he had not concluded negotiation with labour on the issue. Our stand is that there is no negotiation until we return to the status quo. So if by tomorrow they announce it that they have returned to the status quo, NLC will call NEC that will direct our members accordingly.
What do you mean by returning to status quo?
That is fuel price going back to N65 per litre. Then that will now mean that they have created a level ground to start discussion.
So without reversing to N65 per litre, labour won’t negotiate with government?
That means the action continues. Setting up of Belgore Committee is putting the cart before the horse. This is what should have been done earlier. They were lobbying people, lobbying organizations that don`t even exist, spending hard earned money of the nation, money that is supposed to be used in infrastructural development and development of education sector were being used in lobbying people to support this anti-people policy of oil subsidy removal. This money could be garnered and channelled judiciously in one or two areas of national need and the impact would be felt and everybody will see it.
There is no democratic nation that can do what they did; no nation all over the world will send ugly message to its nationals on the first day of the year. This is an indication that they are insensitive to the suffering of the masses; they are irresponsible; they are not democratic: not even the military government can do such in view of the current problem in the country, Nigerians are mourning the death, the disaster of Christmas Day church bombing. Up until now government has no solution to that disaster. As if that was not enough, it slaps the citizens? on the second side of the cheek:? it is irresponsible.
From what you have seen from your mobilisation, do you believe that Nigerians will continue to heed the call of labour and come out en masse?
It has already started in most parts of the country. Look at people faces; it is glaring. What we are planning is how to control it so that it should not go out of hand. If the government is not very careful, it will go out of hand and nobody will be certain of the end result. The government had better be very careful. We have mobilised.
With the experience of the Arab Spring, don’t you think this can move gradually to that stage?
If it does, it will be better – provided we have a government that will be very responsible and people-oriented and Nigerians are being taken care of. It is not the birthright of anybody to rule Nigeria and misrule Nigeria. Nigerians are saying ‘enough is enough’. The political class has misused Nigerians to the extent that on the New Year Day, they say ‘to hell with us’ and those are the people who claimed we elected them democratically. Whatever comes out of it, we will be happy.
Considering the negative impact of strike on the economy, do you think this is the right step to take?
Are we talking of economy when the economy is in a shambles? People cannot eat, they cannot move about freely, they are trapped in their villages where they have gone to concelebrate Christmas and New Year: people got to motor park on the 1st and 2nd of January to discover that theyould not travel because the transport fares had increased beyond what they planned for. People have gone back to the villages to borrow to travel. If we can close down the economy for one month and thereafter revive it, and that brings an era of good policy and the government gets into good hands, get people-oriented policies and we continue to achieve good results, it is better for us as a nation and people. Even if we can shut down everything for a month or for a year and come back to revive Nigeria, it is better.
What is the position of labour now?
Labour has an understanding with government that subsidy could be removed if all four refineries are revived, put into full capacity, new refineries are built to produce for local consumption and make fuel available everywhere at anytime and at affordable cost for Nigerians because we are oil producing nation. We equally talked of fixing of roads, provision of good and effective transportation system. These are the conditions we agreed under the understanding that brought about the price of N65 in the first place.
Those were?? the grounds, but nothing of such happened. For now, the rail system is dead, the roads are terrible. Where has all the money going. They depleted our reserves and used all our money for election and they are now telling us the country will crash if fuel subsidy stays.