Last Thursday, President Tinubu urged organised labour to wait until the 2027 election or make peace.
Omoyele Sowore, the #RevolutionNow convener has knocked President Bola Tinubu for questioning the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over its recent protests.
Last Thursday, President Tinubu urged organised labour to wait until the 2027 election or make peace.
According to the President, it is unfair to call for strikes within nine months of his administration.
While featuring as guest on Arise News Morning Show on Sunday, the former presidential candidate said the President’s comment was not tenable, especially as the only thing that had remained static was the minimum wage amid the high cost of living.
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) March 3, 2024
He said, “What he was saying was baloney. The reason being that when they wanted to come to power, did they wait till 2015?
“They started plotting since... in fact, they practically hijacked occupy Nigeria in 2012, that was where they started their political movement, the APC from. So (Goodluck) Jonathan had not enjoyed up to nine months in power when Occupy Nigeria happened, so what is he complaining about?
“And where in the world did he read – well, they don’t study – that democracy requires that you go and wait for election day?
“Opposition starts from Day 1. Whatever they are opposed to, they start opposing it with ideas. Physically, they engage in protests. France had over 6 months of protest, I think in 2022. I think they are still protesting now.
“You go to the US, people are protesting every day. There are people on the streets of us who are protesting against government, some people protest against God. It is their fundamental right, why would you now say the NLC should go and wait for 2027? The NLC already told you that they have hardship issues. Can that wait? The only thing that is static since you came to power is the minimum wage.
“You met dollar at N700, it is now N1600. In February, it got to N2100 briefly. You met fuel at how much, it is now at N650. They met diesel at N950, it is almost N1500 across the country. So what are we talking about?
“So you want everybody to wait and die until 2027 but most importantly, he is also saying something that I think is important for everybody – develop new voices because he no longer respects even the NLC, that is why he is saying that.
“That is what I said when we started this conversation, the civil society should also stop waiting opportunistically for a labour strike before we can strike on our own. Let us flood the streets tomorrow, he will know there are real voices.”
Regarding the NLC decision to suspend its nationwide protests midway, Sowore, said, “First is to recognise that the NLC has been weakened substantially by its own making to the point that they have reached a point that we say in the Nigerian parlance of ‘see finish’.
“They don’t respect them anymore and I told the leadership this and that they have to kind of revive that. People must trust the NLC for them to… before we went to the streets, some people were even saying in front of us that very soon you will take this thing to Aso Rock and we won’t see you again.
“That’s what happened and I think that’s why Tinubu was confident enough to be throwing jabs at them and saying you are not the only voice of the people. He is just ridiculing them because over time also, the NLC has done a great damage to its image and credibility as a labour union that fights for the interest of workers. And that was a surprise for us that we planned two days of protest and we were not even contacted when they decided to call it off.
“And I was disappointed because I was a little bit hesitant to participate because of this whole reputational issue but I have met the president, we released the pictures and he agreed and told me that nothing would stop these protests, but you see it is just so sad that also civil society on its own has to wait for labour to be able to enter the streets.
“I think that is what we have to resolve, not to also always opportunistically be waiting for labour because the government understands that labouur would call off the strike. They had already had a TUC (Trade Union Congress) pullout and it was left with NLC and the minister came and said this is contempt of court until Femi Falana (SAN) said no this is not contempt of court. Anybody can protest against hardship. And if people are facing hardship, workers are on the frontline of fire when it comes to hardship.
“Considering that you are paying them slave wages, they are getting what they call minimum wage, not living wage, whereas the politicians are getting maximum wage.
“An average senator is paid N15 million a month, an average Nigerian worker is paid N30,000 a month. So these are slave wages but you know that was how we saw it on that day and NLC so disappointing but the lesson to learn from there is that civil society on its own must develop the capacity and grow the balls to go out on their own to confront hardship because it is not only labour leaders that are meant to confront hardship.
“During our days when we were students, we led first and the labour provided the enabling environment for a total paralysis of the system. The students are there but if you look at Nigerian students today, they are probably the first to even say that they are not interested in strikes.
“They go to Aso Rock and come in and out of Aso Rock as if they are members of the presidential advisory group inside Aso Rock. So you need a broad-based coalition involving labour that would take this problem head-on. As far as labour is concerned, I am sorry to say, this is the best we can get from them for now.”