THE Senate has set up a three-man committee to dialogue with members of Organised Labour who stormed the National Assembly on Wednesday, July 2, to protest against economic hardship occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy.
The committee is led by Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume and included senators representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Anambra North Ireti Kingibe and Tony Nwoye.
While the Chief Whip addressed the protesters, a letter of protest was handed over to the Senate by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero.
The letter demanded an end to the arbitrary increase in the cost of fuel and education. It also called for a reduction in transport costs and the fixing of the non-functional refineries in the country.
Members of the NLC and Trade Union Congress (TUC) took to the streets of Abuja and other states across the country on Wednesday in protest over hardship faced by Nigerians following the Federal Government’s decision to discontinue subsidy on petrol.
The demonstrators have not clearly stated how long the protests would last. However, NLC President suggested on Wednesday that the demonstration could go on for as long as the Congress decides.
“It is equally in our own enlightened self-interest, based on the interest of the state, to determine whether the protest will be for today or tomorrow or next or till thy kingdom come. It is not by mere using forces to stop people from expressing their views,” Ajaero said.
The protesters pulled down one of the National Assembly Complex gates during the protest and gained access to the premises in defiance of security operatives, who earlier denied them entry.
The protests took off after negotiations between members of Organised Labour and the Nigerian government ended in a stalemate.
While Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assured the country that measures will be put in place to mitigate the hardships during an address on Monday, July 31, NLC insisted that the promises made were not in tune with the hardships confronting citizens.
They also stated that Tinubu failed to speak to the problem of nonfunctional refineries in the country, considered to be the solution to the problems confronting the oil sector in Nigeria.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.