The Youth Bureau and the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations have urged organised labour to shelve its proposed strike.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its 16-point agreement with the workers since October 2023.
The group said the proposed strike would do more damage than good to the economy and welfare of Nigerians, which the Labour is fighting for.
At a town hall meeting organised by the Youth Bureau (TYB), in conjunction with the Coalitions of Civil Society and Socio-Economic Stakeholders in Lagos, the convener, Comrade Razak Olokoba, said the state of the nation should be objectively examined in an atmosphere devoid of rancour and with a mindset free from political, ethnic, sectional and religious biases.
He said Nigeria, like other countries in the world, is faced with severe economic challenges that call for concerted efforts to fathom what needs to be done to mitigate the challenging times.
He said: “We are concerned about the vulnerability of our people due to the hard times, but we are not also unconscious of the fact that some interests, who have no other business but to play politics with our economic plight and lives for reasons other than national interest, are on the prowl to take advantage of the situation.
“We want to use this occasion to call on organised labour to shelve their threat of strike, as this will do more harm than good to the health of Nigerians and the economy that they are fighting for.
“While we do not begrudge them for exercising their right to strike, which is unlawful and a last resort under the industrial relations system, we charge them to rethink that weapon of struggle that has become monotonous to the ears of the average Nigerian, who now sees it as a blackmail tool that is not in their collective interest.
“We must agree that ordinary Nigerians are more interested in more constructive, result-oriented engagements to ameliorate their economic condition and living standards.”
An activist, Comrade Alexta Wilcox, said nine months in the life of an administration were too short to right the wrong done to the economy.
To curb food insecurity and inflation, he called on state governments to invest hugely in agriculture and encourage farmers.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
