The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has disclosed that the meeting between organised labour and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday night focused largely on insecurity and the growing financial hardship facing Nigerian workers.
Ajaero made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja after a follow-up meeting convened by the Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, with NLC leadership.
The engagement with President Tinubu at the State House was part of last-minute efforts by the Federal Government to halt the planned nationwide protest declared by the NLC over what it described as Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
Recall that the NLC had announced a nationwide protest for December 17, citing widespread insecurity and its impact on the welfare and safety of workers across the country.
Speaking on the outcome of the talks, Ajaero said labour raised concerns about both physical insecurity and what he termed “financial insecurity,” stressing that poorly paid and inadequately fed workers were more vulnerable to hardship and instability.
“The action continued this morning. We are rounding off now, and we will take whatever we discussed back to our members,” Ajaero said.
He noted that the timing of the meeting, coming on the eve of the protest, was not unusual, adding that President Tinubu assured labour leaders that decisive steps were being taken to address insecurity nationwide.
“Mr President was emphatic that the issue of insecurity will be a thing of the past very soon. He said he is taking extra steps to take care of it,” Ajaero stated.
He added that discussions also covered workers’ welfare and economic conditions.
“We equally talked about financial insecurity because a worker that is not well fed and not well paid will have even more problems than those who are well fed and well paid.
“Mr President said he has put Nigeria on the map of prosperity, and we agreed that we are going to meet in January to look at some grey areas where we need to touch. It will equally translate into the prosperity of the working people of Nigeria,” he said.
On whether the nationwide protest had been suspended, Ajaero said the decision would be taken after consultations with NLC members.
“We are going back to our members now, and then we will get back to them. But today is gone, and our action is not an indefinite one. It’s a protest. The issue of suspension is not there because the action has taken off this morning,” he explained.
Also speaking, Governor Uzodimma, who is the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), said President Tinubu’s intervention was instrumental in easing tensions and opening a new channel of communication between labour and government.
He said the meeting addressed the economy, workers’ welfare, ongoing reforms, national security and other key national issues.
“National unity is very critical, and our national interest is very important. The march towards economic prosperity by the president is a welcome idea,” Uzodimma said.
He added that both sides agreed on the need for regular engagement between the Federal Government and the NLC, as well as increased investment in security to protect lives, property and economic activities.
Uzodimma commended the President for taking time to explain his programmes to labour leaders and praised the NLC for what he described as maturity and patriotism.
“It was a very good development. All issues that were not cleared before this time have now been cleared, and all parties are comfortable with the explanations given,” he said.
The meeting, according to participants, ended with a commitment by both labour and government to continue dialogue in the interest of national stability, improved security and better welfare for Nigerian workers.
