The nationwide strike and street protest declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the unilateral removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the Federal Government was received with mixed feelings. Moses John and Taiwo Oguumola, in this write up, chronicle the events amongst other issues.
It is natural for conflicts to erupt among humans; however, the ways they are resolved matters a great deal. Nigerians have known labour activism and industrial disputes for long, even before the country gained independence.
However, the recent strike and mass action which grounded the country for six days over petrol price hike is generally adjudged the most telling, as citizen, high and low, in public and private sector, civil society organisations, faith-based groups, those in Diaspora, professional bodies, market women, etc, all joined in expressing their position, a negligent number supporting the policy.
Checks revealed that during the six- day strike,? Nigerians from all walks of life – bankers, lawyers, teachers/lecturers, market women, apprentices, student? and commercial drivers? all came out en masse to join labour? and other civil society groups to kick against government policy.
Viewed in either way, it has some lessons for Nigerians. The collective suffering associated with the policy? brought? most Nigerians together to fight a common cause, and though most people did? not understand fully what subsidy means, they were resolute in their agitation to force government to revert? to N65 per litre from the N141 it was fixed. January 9, 2012 was the statrt date, and it was accompanied by controversies before during and even after it.
Labour union, its affiliates, and millions of Nigerians across the states trooped out to register their grievances over the new government policy.?
The action which developed into a fan fare in Lagos, places like Kano, Kaduna, Kwara and Enugu, the story was different? as the procession turned bloody.
Areas like Gani Fawehimi Park, now known as Freedom Park Ojota, Iyana-Ipaja, Agege, Mushin and other areas of Lagos became the Mecca of protestation. In Abuja, the protesters gathered daily at Berger and marched through the streets of Abuja and terminated at strategic areas like Amingo super market area in Wuse 2, which was nicknamed People’s Square, and Area 1 roundabout where they were addressed by labour leaders.????????????
The unions said that they were not against the deregulation policy, but that it should be implemented in the correect order and that the fuel price hike should be in phases, plus that government should have provided palliatives to cushion the effect of the policy on Nigerians.
Some Nigerians however argued that despite eloquence of the unions, it was a tall order to make government shift ground. They contended that the strike would not last for more than two days, saying Nigerians will adapt with the policy quickly.
But they were wrong. The strike and mass rallies and protests, started on Monday, January 9 across the states of the nation, lasted the whole week, crippling government and business activities.
One interesting thing about the mass action was that in the history of the country, Nigerians had never been so united in fighting any? government policy. This feat encouraged labour unions to wax stronger and encouraged the continuation of the protests even though the peaceful protests recorded martyrs across the country while many were injured. Even at that, others insisted that they must fight the battle to the end.
The protests and mass rallies brought out professionals like doctors, lawyers, professors, teachers, lecturers, artist, and many other apparently because both the rich and poor cry , the wealthy people also left their perceive comfort zones to join other Nigerians, and they were set to get government to bow to their demand – return the pump price to N65 – before the NLC suspended the strike on January 18, 2012, after series of meetings involving? the governors, the National Assembly leadership and President Goodluck Jonathan.
Labour’s ‘Betrayal’
Before leaders of labour union were summoned to Abuja, some argued that NLC and TUC will not compromise, but that government will.
President of NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar and TUC President, Peter Esele, after series of meetings with both the Legislature and the Executive arms of government to dialogue on the way forward.? Labour decided to suspend the strike and give room for further meeting with Justice Alfa Belgore committee since the president agreed to put on hold full deregulation policy.
Some of the civil society and even some state chapters of NLC said the decision of the leadership of the unions to suspend the strike was not a collective one. They said instead of the President to listen to the yearnings of the masses by reverting to N65, he came out on Sunday, January? 16, 2012, after what he called much consultation with governors and leaders of theto say they agreed to reduce the price to N97 per litre.??
After the broadcast, most Nigerians were not happy and hoped that the strike and mass rallies will continue. To the disappointment of teeming Nigerians, Labour announced the suspension of strike on that day, saying that Nigerians should sit at home while the federal government sent troops? to take over the streets of Lagos, Ondo and other part of the states with soldiers, and thwart who were prrepared to continue the rallies.
However, the labour leaders explained that they had to call? of the action because of security concerns, but they decried the new price, saying the president acted unilaterally.
Among those spoken to, over 90 per cent were not happy with the NLC for calling off the strike without government reverting the fuel price to N65. People who reacted to the actions of labour said they had betrayed the masses.?
They also insinuated, with some saying it openly, that they must have been ‘settled’ to dance to the tune of government. Should we conclude that labour compromise its integrity or betrayed Nigerians? Before the strike ended, in Lagos thugs popularly known as ‘area boys’ bombarded NLC Secretariat at Yaba, warning the labour leaders and others not to compromise or else they will be dealt with.? This harassment prompted the labour leaders like Deputy President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, Mr. John Kolawole, TUC General Secretary, Abiodun Aremu, secretary of Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LACSO) and others to call press briefing where they? insisted that labour and its affiliates would not compromise or betray the masses.???
Some accused the unions of holding back the oil sector union, Petroleum and Gas Workers Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) to join the strike at the initial stage to make the strike more effective.
Some of the civil society group include Joint Action Front (JAF), Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Anti-Corruption League (ACL), and faith based organization among others.
JAF and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the LASCO and its allies of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Lagos, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja and Lagos, have dissociated self from the pronouncement by the President of the NLC, Abdulwaheed Omar and TUC President, Peter Esele for the suspension of the strike/mass action.
Comrade Abiodun Aremu, JAF General Secretary, said “While we salute Nigerians for their resistance and legitimate demand for total reversal of the fuel price from the wicked imposition of N141 to N65, we strongly deplore the suspension of the strike/mass action as endorsed by Presidents of NLC and TUC as a betrayal of this legitimate demand by Nigerians that fuel price must revert to N65 as a condition for negotiation.
“JAF and its allies have resolved to intensify the struggle for the reversal to N65 and on other fundamental issues, in particular, the reversal of the cruel policy of privatisation and deregulation as it was demonstrated with the street protest in Lagos today (Monday)under the banner of JAF that was violently terminated at a point on Ikorodu road by the combined team of armed personnel that were deployed midnight across the country.
JAF urged all of its centres across the country to continue with the mass action of rallies and protests as held? that day in Ibadan, Kano, Ilorin, Kaduna, Ijebuode Ogun State, Osogbo, and other places.?
“ Nigerians should not be discouraged by the abrupt and unwarranted suspension of strike by its Labour partner; neither should the militarisation of the protest centres deter Nigerians in their resolve to rid the polity of this class of looters and profiteers that are responsible for mass poverty, unemployment, social insecurity and untold hardships of the majority of Nigerians”, it added.
The group however remarked? it? declared the commencement of the mass action against the hike in fuel price on January 3, 2012 befor NLC/TUC did, to rally Nigerians against privatisation, deregulation, looting and exploitation by the corrupt capitalist ruling cabals and “ensure that wealth of the country is judiciously applied to benefit the majority working population (formal and informal sectors) and the poor”.
Speaking also, a former National Assembly lawmaker, Hon. Dino Melaya, he? said it will mobilise Nigerians to continue with the nationwide protest against the unilateral fixing of the price of petrol at N97 per liter.
According to Dino, the group disassociated itself from the NLC/TUC decision to suspend the protests which they did not initiate.
“We also insist that we have a fundamental right to peaceful protests even without the backing of NLC ; and we question the sincerity of the government’s commitment to democracy in light of IG’s threat to arrest any protesters found on the streets henceforth,” he said.
Why we suspended the strike – Labour
NLC President tried to convince the over 160 million Nigerians that they suspended the strike in order to prevent anarchy and also protect the lives of innocent Nigerians, but this explanation did not cut an ice with most Nigerians and even members of the Labour family. That is why the NLC chairman? insisted on carrying on with the strike until government went back to status quo ante – N65 a litre.? He however capitulated after a day of continued protest.?
Clearing the fog on the controversial suspension, Omar and Esele claimed that the mass action by Nigerians was a signal to government to bring to justice all those who had contributed in one way or another to the economic adversity of the country.
According to Omar, “In the last twenty four hours, the Labour Movement and its allies have had cause to review the various actions and decided that in order to save lives and in the interest of national survival, these mass actions be suspended.
“In the past eight days through strikes, mass rallies, shutdown, debates and street protests, Nigerians demonstrated clearly that they cannot be taken for granted and that sovereignty belongs to them and the major successes Nigerians scored in these past days in which they rose courageously as a people to take their destiny in their hands”, he added.
Omar demanded the release of detained labour leaders and other protesters arrested by the police and said they will continue further dialogue over the correct pricing of petrol with the government-appointed Justice Belgore committee. He listed the gains of the protest to include getting the Federal Government “to decisively move against the massive and crippling corruption in the oil sector”.
The Labour Movement however? commended Nigerians for their resolve to change the country for the better, adding “we shall take advantage of the government’s invitation to further engage on these issues.
Speaking also, TUC’s Esele said the decision to suspend the action was in the best interest of the Nigerians and the country in general.
“We are confident that we have the trust of the Nigerian and we want to tell you that we are not? abandoning the Nigerian people. Before we came to this decision, I will assure you that we consulted widely and don’t forget that we have the National Executive Council to which we report to.? If we don’t get their consent and permission, we will not come here to call off this strike.
On whether the price adjustment was done with Labour consent, comrade Esele said it was done by the Federal Government.
“What we wanted was reduce the price; reduce the price to N65 and the Federal Government headed by the President went ahead gave the new pump price to be N97 and that is why we want to let you know and every Nigerian to know that we were not part of it; we never sat down with any committee to negotiate that price; we need to clear that”. Esele added.
Minister Commends Labour For Suspending Strike
Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu has described the resolution of impasse between the Federal Government and the organized Labour Union over the removal of fuel subsidy as democracy in action.
Chief Wogu stated this in Abuja while reacting to suspension of the dispute by labour.
“This is democracy in action, while the strike lasted Mr. President listened to the views of some people who supported the removal of subsidy and equally listened to views of those who were opposed to the policy, and at the end of the day he deemed it proper to review the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, and promised Nigerians that deregulation when completed will benefit them”.
While commending the organized labour union, the leadership of the National Assembly and Nigerians for display of patriotism Chief Wogu stated that “for labour union I appreciate the display of perseverance and for accepting to come and dialogue at the intervention of the National Assembly. I thank the leadership of the Senate for their timely intervention and for Nigerians who showed a lot of patient while the strike lasted. I am indeed happy and glad that Nigerians will now appreciate the beauty of Democracy”.
The minister re-emphasized the commitment of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan to transform the socio-economic well being of Nigerians while reiterating that deregulation of the petroleum downstream sector is in the interest of the nation.
“Deregulation as a pro-people policy is an accepted policy of government, despite what has happened. People have vented their anger as well as inputs, which were genuine and shared their concern which were same concern with government in moving the nation forward to the current position that has been taken and accepted by everybody, that the pump price should be N97,” he said.
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