Last night, the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) officially called off the ongoing strike, citing the intervention of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The decision to suspend the strike was made during a meeting that commenced a few minutes past 7 pm and lasted close to one hour. During the meeting, various affiliates and state chapters reviewed the outcomes of a prior meeting between organized labor leaders and Ribadu. The meeting, which also included Labour Minister Simon Lalong and Labour Under Minister Nkiruka Onyejeoacha, discussed the issues raised by the unions.
Tommy Etim, the National Deputy Vice-President of the TUC, announced the suspension in Abuja, stating, “The NEC of the NLC and the TUC have suspended the strike. We did this based on our trust for the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who gave us his words.”
During the meeting with Ribadu and Labour Minister Simon Lalong at the Office of the NSA on Wednesday afternoon, the NSA had informed the labor leaders that individuals responsible for the alleged brutalization of NLC National President Joe Ajaero had been arrested.
It is noteworthy that the organized labor had initiated the strike in protest against the reported brutalization of Joe Ajaero and the government’s perceived failure to effectively implement agreements reached on October 2, 2023.
