Politics

Nigeria: Govt to meet labour leaders over planned nationwide strike

Published

1 year ago

September 3, 2023

The Nigerian government said it would meet leaders of the labour union on Monday to avert the group’s planned nationwide strike scheduled for Tuesday.

Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation, told reporters on Saturday that the administration would meet with union leaders to prevent the impending strike.

“Definitely, we are hoping the warning strike can be averted. They are still engaged in discussions and have started to understand each other’s position more. They will meet again on Monday, but the gaps are being closed.

“You know the new minister just came in and has just begun to engage with the NLC. Going forward, you will see more expeditious engagement with the labour union. So far, tension has reduced but work is still in progress. By Monday, they will meet again and hopefully find an amicable resolution on the issue”, he said.

The minister expressed confidence that the issue would be handled before the 21-day strike which is due to start later this month if the parties were unable to come to a deal.

He stated, “This is why I said we are trying to find a common ground to avert the impending strike. Once this is achieved, the other one would have been taken care of.”

While affirming that it was still open to dialogue with the government despite breaching its earlier commitments, the trade union underlined that there was no turning back on the two-day warning strike.

Several state chapters of the NLC had already stated that they were prepared to go on strike, while others had stated that their executive committee would meet on Monday to prepare for the strike.

“They didn’t invite us to any meetings, so there isn’t a meeting between us and the government,” said Assistant National Secretary, Christopher Onyeka. “There is no official meeting schedule and they haven’t met with us”, he added.

In response to the question of whether the union would accept an invitation to a meeting despite the union’s claim that the government had broken its commitments three times, he said, “The labour movement is a negotiation platform founded around dialogue. Rather than leaving the table, the government has been scuttling”.

Since the removal of subsidies on petroleum product on May 29, there has been face-off between organized labour and the government following surge in the cost of living. The labour union appears unimpressed despite government’s recent paliative measures.

Related Topics:Featured Nigeria NLC Strike

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

1 hour ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

23 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.