While Government and Labour need to shift ground

There is no gainsaying the fact that the January 1,2012 removal of subsidy on petrol by the Federal government has become a pandora box for President Goodluck Jonathan. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC)and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the umbrella workers bodies for senior and junior workers have refused to call- off their strike which is in it's fourth day, protest in some parts of the country are being hijacked by hoodlums and criminals who are capitalizing on it to unleash mayhem on innocent Nigerians,the precarious security situation in the country is further being compromised,schools are shut in most states of the federation and the economy is further being strained with loss of billions of Naira everyday. It is unfortunate that four days into the national strike, the two major gladiators (Labour and Federal government) are not close to resolving the impasse.They are both sticking rigidly to their positions. While the Federal government is calling on Labour to call- off the strike as a precondition for commencement of negotiation, Labour is saying government must first revert to the old price of N65 per litre before they can go to the negotiating table. I hope that pride has not taken over.What should be uppermost in the minds of the leadership of the two major contending groups is the interest of the nation. A total collapse of the economy will not be in the interest of any body. That is why it is necessary for maturity to take over. As in previous disagreements between Labour and government over the fuel subsidy issue, there is the need for immediate commencement of dialogue without any precondition. Both parties must be willing to compromise and shift ground in the interest of the economy and peaceful co-existence of Nigerians. The issue should not be looked at from the perspective of who will win or loss the ongoing battle?. I firmly believe that both the Federal government and Labour have their points. While It cannot be controverted that there is the need for removal of fuel subsidy, but how can we do it in such a way as to cushion the deleterious or painful impact on the vast majority of the suffering masses in the country who even before the removal were already unable to have three square meals a day? These are issues that could be sorted out on the negotiating table. While I also agree with people who contend that the negotiation should have taken place before the removal of the subsidy, that shouldn't stop the two parties from going to the negotiation table now.The negotiation can start from Where we are at the most. I hope the government has learnt some lessons from the strike. The government must by now have realized that majority Of Nigerians are living in serious economy hardship, they are not willing to accept any policy that will increase the hardship and as such they will tenaciously resist any attempt to make life more difficult for them. Labour and the general public must also agree that while the role of government is to bring about the greatest good For the greatest number of the people, leadership is not about always taking popular decisions but about Always doing the right thing. The right thing most times may appear to be painful.