We are not after your job- NLC

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday carpeted the President, Bola Tinubu over a comment credited to him, saying he should focus on tackling the current hardship being faced by Nigerians rather than politicizing the real issues.

Tinubu had on Thursday while commissioning Railway Red line in Labour knocked the organised labour over its recent move to protest nationwide in a bid to press home its demand over non-implementation of last October agreements they reached.

The President had said the organised labour was not the only voice for Nigerians, and as such the Congress lacks moral ground to challenge his administration’s policies barely nine months it came into power.

But in its response, the NLC, through its President, Joe Ajaero, wondered why Tinubu chose to politicise current hardship facing Nigerians rather than tackling it head-on to make lives easy for well-meaning Nigerians.

Ajaero said, “President Tinubu’s insinuation that Labour lacks the moral ground to challenge his administration, merely nine months into office, is deeply troubling”, stressing that organised labour is after his job.

“Moreover, his focus on partisan issues and the distant 2027 election cycle, rather than the urgent needs of the populace, further underscores a disconnect from the realities faced by Nigerians on a daily basis.

“It is regrettable that the President seems oblivious of the profound hardships endured by millions of Nigerians. The pervasive hunger, unemployment, housing insecurity, and escalating costs of basic necessities such as food and healthcare demand immediate attention and decisive action.

“Yet, instead of addressing these pressing concerns, President Tinubu appears preoccupied with political calculations and future electoral prospects.

“The NLC wishes to emphasize that our primary objective is not to vie for political positions, including that of the President. Rather, our sole focus is on advocating for effective governance that prioritizes the welfare and security of all Nigerians.

“We urge President Tinubu to redirect his efforts towards fulfilling this fundamental duty of public office, rather than engaging in political rhetoric.

“It is imperative that we refocus our collective energy on addressing the substantive issues that have been the subject of engagement between Labour and the government since June 2023.

“These include critical matters such as wage increases, social welfare programs, infrastructure development, and the revitalization of key sectors such as education and healthcare.

“In any case to avoid the dissipation of energy, it is important that we focus on the real issues because we have engaged the government since June 2023 after the subsidy is gone statement.

“The issues are around the non-implementation of agreements reached between us and the government.”

The labour listed the issues that are yet to be implemented as review of proposal for wage increase and award including framework for timing and implementation and review the program of Cash Transfer and propose inclusion of low-income earners in the program

Others include review of issues hindering effective delivery in the education sector and propose solutions for implementation; reviving the CNG conversion programs; reviewing the framework for the completion of rehabilitation work on the Nation’s refineries and review of framework for the maintenance of Roads and expansion of Rail networks across the country.