The government has to discover where it got it wrong, fix things and arrest the seething cauldron the country has become.
Murder for hire, By Wole OlaoyeClimate change, extreme weather, conflict exacerbate global food crisisSports FeaturesStirrings of industrial unrest in the country are palpable with the decision of organised labour to embark on a two-day nationwide strike on 27 and 28 February, in response to what it considers as the Federal Government’s bad faith in implementing a 16-point mutually agreed pact.
The seed of this industrial pall of darkness was arguably sowed on 2 October, 2023, in a pact that the government had with labour. Although a Minimum Wage Committee was inaugurated one month after the date of the agreement, however, the 37-member panel was launched only a few weeks ago, oddly with N500 million spent, on what has not been explained or justified yet.
However, in defence, the Education Minister, Tahir Mamman, says that the government has fulfilled its pact with university teachers with the 35 per cent increase in their salaries, the removal of universities from the vexatious Integrated Payroll Payment Information System , thereby granting them autonomy and the power to recruit staff.
Salaries and wages have largely remained static in the country. If a new minimum wage was implemented as soon as the fuel subsidy was removed and the naira floated, the food inflation at 35.41 per cent, and headline inflation of 29.90 per cent – all January statistics of Nigeria Bureau of Statistics – would have effectively eroded the gains of the increment.
With mass hunger and anger in the land, it is feared that the warning strike may resonate with the generality of Nigerians. The government should not repeat its mistake of deploying the divide-and-rule tactic adopted the last time by isolating the NLC in its negotiations with the TUC. It was disappointing when the TUC teamed up with NLC at the last minute, to hold last year’s strike.