NLC: Tinubu To Hold National Broadcast Today

As the strike declared by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) looms, President Bola Tinubu will make a national broadcast today at 7 pm.

This was announced on Monday by his Special Adviser on Strategy, Communication and Special Duties, Dele Alake.

The statement, which did not provide any details said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will make a broadcast to the nation on Monday, July 31, 2023, at 7 pm.

“Television, radio stations and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to hook up to the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and Radio Nigeria for the broadcast,” the statement added.

Following the unresolved issue of subsidy removal and the accompanying hardship being witnessed by Nigerians, Labour re-issued its earlier strike notice declared in the wake of the removal of subsidy on petrol on May 29.

The federal government subsequently set up a committee to negotiate with the NLC and obtained an order from the industrial court to stop the Organised Labour from embarking on the strike.

Labour however suspended the strike but has now called for total industrial action following the upward review of fuel price.

Although there have been concerted efforts to meet to negotiate, last Friday’s scheduled meeting did not hold following the government’s inability to attend.

It forced NLC, which was led to the meeting by its National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, to leave the venue of the meeting at the presidential villa and doubled down on the call for “total strike and protest.”

In addition, there have been fears that the fuel price hike and complaints of high prices of commodities have degenerated into a national crisis.

An indication of this came at the weekend in Adamawa when people broke into warehouses to cart away grains.

Stores and other shops which were shut down to observe the weekend were also broken into, forcing the state government to declare a 24-hour curfew.

It’s expected that the president will speak directly on these issues.