In a bid to avert a potential nationwide strike by the organised Labour, President Bola Tinubu has made an earnest appeal to workers in the country, urging them to suspend their industrial actions and allow his administration more time to attend to their demands.
The plea was revealed to journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abass, who led a delegation of House members to meet with President Tinubu on Wednesday.
The looming industrial crisis stemmed from the Nigerian Labour Congress’ (NLC) warning that workers in the country would embark on a week-long protest to express their disapproval of the latest hike in the price of the premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.
As part of their responsibilities, the House of Representatives expressed readiness to intervene in the brewing industrial protest, scheduled to begin from Wednesday, August 2nd.
The Speaker disclosed that their earlier visit to the President was primarily to update him on the progress made in negotiations with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
However, President Tinubu, who was still getting acquainted with the issues, requested more time from the medical officers, who had already commenced their strike action on Wednesday.
“What he said was that he was just coming on board, we should ask and beg them to please give us a little more time. Most of the things they mentioned, he is completely unaware of them, he is yet to be briefed about all those issues.
“But from what he heard from me, he also advised that we should channel all those issues to his Chief of Staff for him to look at them one after the other. I believe within the next coming days, some concerted actions will be taken.
“Yesterday’s visit was primarily to brief Mr President on our engagement with National Resident Doctors Association whom we got wind were planning to embark on strike. So, we invited them and we persuaded to withdraw that plan. Sequel to the meetings we had with them, there were series of conditions that they gave that we felt that we need to share with Mr President.
“That is what brought me yesterday to intimate him on what we have discussed and the agreements so far reached with them and issues that they have raised that need his attention,” Abbas said.
On why the doctors proceeded on strike, the ongoing negotiations notwithstanding, the Speaker said: “it’s a work in progress. I’m sure some of the issues that they have raised, if we can be able to meet some of their expectations halfway of which we are on it, we already set up an adhoc committee chaired by the Majority Leader of the House to look at those issues. I’m sure one or two interventions in their areas of concern, we will prevail on them to come back to the negotiating table and also accept to withdraw that strike.”
Asked what the House of Representatives would do in the case of the organised Labour make good its threat to go embark on nationwide protest, the Speaker said the Lower Chamber would be intervening like in other past cases.
“In the same manner, same way, we will also invite them to come and sit so that we hear their grievances and then we follow the same pattern of engaging and persuading them to give us a little time so that we can be able to meet their expectations,” he said
Explaining the reason for the latest visit to the President, Abbas said: “since our election, as leaders of 10th House of Representatives, we didn’t come formally to present them to Mr President. So, today, we requested for this audience primarily to bring and introduce them for him to get to know them and for them to get to know him. That’s just what we are here for.”
Among those with Abass were the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu; Prof Julius Ihonvbere, the Majority Leader; Kingsley China, Minority Leader, and other principal officers of the House.
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