ACF urges NLC, ASUU to shelve strike in national interest


Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF) on Friday urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to shelve its planned nationwide strike action coming barely 40 days to the general elections in order to ensure smooth polls.

It also tasked striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to, in the best  interest of Nigeria and Nigerians, suspend their ongoing strikes to enable the country conduct a rancour free elections after which they can agitate for their rights. 

According to a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, “ACF has nothing but sympathy and goodwill towards all Nigerian workers who continue to toil in an increasingly difficult economic environment. We also support whatever they or their  unions legitimately do to improve on their welfare.

   “However, ACF wishes to draw the attention of the labour and trade union organisations to the fact that the public is getting extremely alarmed by the risky method they have chosen to fight for the welfare of their members. ASUU, ASUP and other unions in our tertiary institutions have been on total, comprehensive and indefinite strike almost 100 days to our general elections. 

“And now, about 40 days to the elections, the Nigeria Labor Congress  (NLC) is threatening not only to call its members out on a total and prolonged strike but to mobilise them to paralyse the country. ACF is very much worried and concerned with this threat to industrial peace and harmony, and hereby appeals to the leadership of NLC and other  trade unions to place the interest of the country above all other considerations.

“Workers’ welfare can only be improved if the country is working and  the general elections that is at the heart of our democracy allowed to take place in a peaceful environment. We cannot afford to truncate our hard earned democracy at this material time when all hands are expected to be on deck to move the country forward.

“We therefore urge the labour leaders to remain patriots  and prevail  on their members to suspend the proposed strike.  

“ACF urges all interested parties to note that the issue of minimum wage transcends all sectors of the economy, hence the need for workers in both public, private sectors and governments to come together and agree on what the economy can accommodate, after which a bill to that

effect can be transmitted to the National Assembly forthwith.

“We already have so many challenges in the polity, economy and security which require collective efforts to restore our faith in both our democracy and the country. We therefore appeal for understanding and call on all parties to shift grounds”, Biu added.

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