By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — In a bid to persuade organised labour to shelve the planned nationwide protests over the worsening security situation in the country, President Bola Tinubu met with labour leaders Tuesday night at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
However, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, told journalists after the meeting that the union would continue its deliberations on the outcome of the consultation with the president before taking a decision.
The labour leaders met President Tinubu behind closed doors amid heightened public attention over possible protests and strike action.
The NLC president described the engagement as a consultation rather than a conclusive negotiation, stressing that labour’s leadership would first brief its internal organs before making any public pronouncement.
He said: “We came for a consultation with the President, and we are finished. So we have to go back to our meeting and then continue tomorrow (today). By tomorrow (Wednesday), we will get the outcome.”
Pressed on whether the NLC was still insisting on proceeding with its planned protest, Ajaero declined to commit either way, emphasising that decisions within the congress are collective and not driven by individuals.
“If I’m insisting or not insisting, I will communicate that to you,” he said. “It is not an organisation that one person rules. We will go back to the drawing board, digest all that Mr. President said to us, and move forward from there.”
Also present at the meeting was Imo State Governor and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who said sustained dialogue remained the preferred option for resolving outstanding issues between labour and the government.
According to the Progressive Governors Forum chairman, “Consultation is going on. We were dialoguing, and like he (Ajaero) said, at the end of the day, you will know what you are supposed to know and what you want to know.”
Responding to questions on what Nigerians should expect from the engagement, the governor said all parties were acting in the broader national interest.
“We are here to serve the country, the labour, the government, and the governed. We are all working in service to the nation,” he added.
The Minister of State for Labour, Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, who also spoke to journalists after the meeting, said labour leaders welcomed the opportunity to engage the President directly and were reassured by the discussions.
“They are citizens who are also members of the NLC. They wanted to see Mr. President, and they’ve seen Mr. President,” Onyejeocha said. “They are happy they’ve had firsthand engagement and that at least the President has driven the economy out of the woods. It is very good news.”
Labour leaders are expected to reconvene their internal meetings, after which a clearer position on next steps is likely to be announced.
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