ASUU strike: NLC begins warning strike

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has resolved to commence a three-day warning strike immediately after its nationwide protest slated for July 26 to 28, 2022, over the prolonged industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other university-based unions.

The latest development was made known on Monday by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, while speaking on the sideline of the ongoing 18th NLC Rain School, 2022, tagged, ‘Labour, Politics for National Development and Social Justice in Nigeria’.

Wabba said NLC would embark on an indefinite strike should government fail to resolve the issues to allow students to return back to school.

He said: “The protest happening tomorrow is not a solidarity protest but a protest of NLC against government actions that lead to our universities being shut down and our kids staying at home instead of going to school. All the unions directly involved in the strike are NLC affiliates and their members are part of NLC.

“We have taken three levels of decision. First is the protest which is going to be national tomorrow (today). After the protest, three days national warning strike will start, and if they fail to resolve the issues and bring back our kids to school, we go on indefinite strike.

“That is the decision of our National executive council. And what will be helpful for them is to check the timeline we have given for them to resolve the issues. We are optimistic that they will be willing this time because we are also willing to get our children back to school.”

Wabba, who further decried the worsening state of livelihood in the country, lamented that the ruling All Progressives Congress-led government has failed to better the living condition of Nigerians and left the education sector in shambles.

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“I never knew that the exchange rate has moved between a week from N630 to N670. This is very frightening and it erodes the purchasing power of workers. There is no way we can continue in this direction and expect that there will be shared prosperity within workers and within the large portion of Nigerians that are in the lower echelon of the economic ladder.

“Importantly is the issue of our children that are out of school for five months. Basically, it also requires a political decision for the issue to be sorted out. What is even more worrisome is the fact that they keep posting the graduation of their children in universities out the country on social media and then the universities where the children of the workers in class study are closed down.

“I was told today that we have 3 sets of students that ought to be in the university but unfortunately they have not even sorted out their admission challenges. So it really really a very frightening future for Nigerians, particularly the youths.

‘“The irony of it is that most of the political elites today benefited from free public education. Why is it impossible for them to fix our public education? Is it about the class division? it honestly beats somebody’s imagination. That is why all of these issues resonate that we need to engage politically. We have also realise the fact that they have used different approaches to divide Nigerians.

“Unfortunately for them, NLC is a pan-Nigerian organisation that cannot be divided. And workers should not allow themselves to be divided along ethnic or religious line. This is just diversion of interest. Their division tool is happening now, Workers should be wiser, citizens should be wiser. We should work assiduously to unite Nigeria and not to divide Nigeria,” the NLC President stated.

The Star