…insist on strike, else FG reverts price to N86.50k
Bimbola Oyesola
Organised Labour has said it would go ahead with the planned nationwide strike today in spite of the court injunction by the National Industrial Court (NIC), yesterday restraining the two labour centres, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) from embarking on the action.
This is even as the Iyaloja General of Lagos, Folashade Tinubu Ojo has directed all market men and women in Lagos to disregard the directive by the organised labour to shut all markets in the country in protest against the pump price increase.
In preparation for today’s action, members of the labour movement with their Civil Society allies marched though the Yaba- Ojuelegba road to sensitize Nigerians about the importance of joining the strike for the reversal of the pump price from N145 announced by the Federal Government last week to N86.50k.
The Chairman of NLC in Lagos State, Idowu Adelakun, said the NLC as a body has not been served with the court injunction and therefore cannot be bound by it.
He said, “Even if we get the injunction, that cannot hinder us from protesting. As Nigerians, we have the right to protest any government policy that tends to inflict hardship and sufferings on us.
“We cannot accept the new increase and that is why we want Nigerians to see this as a struggle for all us and we must rise in total condemnation of it. Already prices of food, transport and other essentials have gone up almost above 100 percent.”