Fakoyejo Olalekan
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has released part of its demands before throwing support behind a Presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections.
NLC made its request known through the creation of Nigerian Workers’ Charter of Demands, after the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, who happens to be the spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign (APC) challenged the national workers’ union.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOpposition party, Labour Party, had met with NLC to integrate the Nigerian Workers’ Charter into the party’s political manifesto, a meeting that didn’t go down well with Keyamo, who called the NLC leadership out over their support of Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Obi had stated that he would remove fuel subsidy when elected, a decision NLC has been against when attempted by APC-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari. Keyamo said NLC must address Obi’s stance on subsidy removal.
NLC demands ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 election
In response to Keyamo’s statement, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said that its position is for refineries to be operational in Nigeria, and the government halt fuel importation before the removal.
“A major demand in the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands is that our local public refineries must work. We have also demanded that we must stop 100 per cent importation of refined petroleum products.
“The NLC and indeed the labour movement in Nigeria had over many decades been vehemently consistent that the only way to address the issue of the so-called petrol subsidies is to get our refineries to work.
“The logic is very simple: It is not economical to buy from abroad at very expensive prices a product that a country like ours can easily produce at home.” The NLC President said.
Wabba further stated that the country must move from consumption economy to production administering Nigeria’s mineral resources, which includes the downstream petroleum sub-sector. He explained that the transition would end the scarcity of foreign exchange, and increases foreign reserves.
Other factors that the NLC President said could be positively impacted are improving Naira’s valuation, reduce job losses, improve living conditions, as well as poverty among Nigerians.
The 2023 Presidential election is between Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu of APC, and Atiku Abubakar, who represents the Peoples’ Democratic Party.
Why NLC met with Peter Obi’s Labour Party
Explaining the reason for meeting with the Labour Party, Wabba said it was due to its bid “to popularise the positions in the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands, the NLC and TUC at the behest of the Labour Party on Monday and Tuesday (last week) hosted a National Retreat of the leadership cadres in our movement.
“At the retreat, the Labour Party and Organised Labour in Nigeria adopted and mainstreamed the Workers Charter of Demands into the Manifesto of the Labour Party.
“This is in line with our persuasion that issue-based campaigns anchored on the manifesto of political parties should drive Nigeria’s political process.
“If any political party goes around saying that they plan to sell our refineries, remove subsidies, they should be ready to defend such stance to Nigerians at the campaigns.” The NLC statement reads.
