Fuel Subsidy Strike - Labour Needs to Change Approach

Exactly one week after the commencement of strike and protest over the removal of fuel subsidy, leaders of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have suspended the strike. Earlier in the day, the government announced the reduction of petrol price from N140 to N97 per litre. Was it really a reduction or government succeded in increasing the pump price to N97?

It would be recalled that during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, the situation was also the same; Government will increase the price, labour will call a strike, government will reduce the price marginally, then the strike will be called off.

This confirms the view of many Nigerians that Labour leaders will not be able to achieve their goal of compelling government to reverse the price to N65 per litre.. It is also a confirmation of the view of some Nigerians that the intention of  the  Federal Government was really to increase the pump price to around N100 per litre. They therefore first pegged it at N140 per litre to give room for reduction if labour goes on strike thereby portraying a picture of compromise.

In the past one week of protest, billions of Naira have been lost, many Nigerians died while others sustained serious physical injuries, many homes are in agony over the death of loved ones, properties worth billions of Naira were destroyed and Labour could not achieve its goal of reversing the price to N65. Shouldn't Labour have sat and agree with government on the margin of  increment instead of the unnecessary hullabaloo?

Another very fundamentally issue is that transporters and market men/women who have increased prices as a result of the increase of petrol price to N140 per litre will not reduce their prices now that it has been 'reduced' to N97. Shouldn't Labour and Government embark on a campaign to encourage or persuade them to also reduce their prices in the interest of the proverbial common man who always bears the brunt of any 'harsh' policy the most? Or like in previous subsidy strikes, is life just going to continue as normal?

In as much as I agree that there is serious economic hardship in the country and that Nigerians have the right to oppose any government policy they find obnoxious, I do not think the price that has been paid to achieve the N97 per litre is worth it. This could have been achieved through dialogue without a single loss of life and destruction of properties. Labour may therefore need to review its strategy in future.

Also, where are the Civil Society Groups and 'failed' politicians who used the umbrella of the strike to enhance their visibility and to bring themselves into the consciousness of Nigerians?.  In the past one week, I had always contended in discussions with friends that when Government strikes a deal with Labour leaders, the so called Civil Society Groups and politicians will become irrelevant.

The most nauseating aspect of the protest was that politicians who were never known to be pro masses when they were in government latched on the strike to achieve cheap political capital. Some of them were strong advocates of removal of fuel subsidy when they were in government, now that they are not in government, they started masquerading as the champions of the interest of the masses when they cannot lay hands on anything that they did for the masses when they were in government. For these set of politicians, the strike was a platform to strategise for 2015 elections.

As a christian, I was also very disappointed with one of the leaders of the Civil Society Groups who claims to be a Pastor. His conduct did not show that he was really a Pastor. Whereas, he has the constitutional right to protest against any government policy which he perceives to be bad. It is unchristian and against everything that Jesus Christ stands for to wish any one death. It was so disappointing to watch him on television cursing and wishing President Goodluck Jonathan death. His brand of christianity is very close to fundamentalist Islam where death is the penalty for disagreement on issues. I am told that this Pastor, who prophesied that Chief Obasanjo would died before assuming power in 1999, was once a muslim. May be if he was still a muslim, he would have been a member of Boko Haram.

In conclusion, I would suggest that whenever government is going to that take any fundamental decision with farreaching implications, there should be extensive dialogue with all critical stakeholders, strikes and protests with their concomittant deleterious impact on the economy should be avoided because in the final analysis, they benefit no one.