By Kelechi Eke

Tension and fear today pervade Nigeria, the oil-rich and once giant of Africa.

NewsOrient Network searches show that one of the immediate sources of tension in the country today is the shimmering face-off between the Organised Labour and the Federal Government of Nigeria over the recent removal of fuel subsidy and it’s resultant hardship on common Nigerians.

In it’s reaction to the severe hardship of common Nigerians occasioned by the recent removal of petroleum subsidy, the National Executive Council of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) endorsed a nationwide strike/mass protests scheduled to commence on August 2, 2023.

The government, in it’s reaction threatened the Organised Labour with a court ruling against such action. It has also called for negotiation meetings that have failed to hold, even as the two blame each other for the failed negotiations so far.

Today, barely two days to the August 2 take off of the mass protest, though the Federal Government said it has concluded a fresh meeting today, Monday, July 31, 2023, with representatives of the organised labour in an effort to prevent the nationwide strike, NewsOrient Network report that the widespread fear and tension in the land have deepened.

This is even as NLC has openly advised Nigerians to stock their homes with food items, medicines and other essential things ahead its seven-day strike/protests.

According to NLC, it has become necessary to alert Nigerians and all residents in Nigeria to be prepared because “the strike will cripple the country as movement would be severely curtailed, commercial transport operators would withdraw their services, while markets, schools and healthcare facilities would be forced to shut down.”

A report in PUNCH quoted the Assistant General Secretary of NLC, Chris Onyeka, as saying in an interview with one of its correspondents that “the citizens should also minimise their movements so as to avoid being stranded.”

The report added: the NLC “had given the government a seven-day ultimatum with threats of a nationwide strike scheduled to commence on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. The labour movement in a statement signed by its National President, Joe Ajaero, accused the Tinubu-led Federal Government of failing to meet up with the demands it presented to it following the removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, which caused an astronomical rise in the pump price of the commodity.”

The NLC therefore said: “Nigerians should be prepared. That’s what we are saying. Being prepared means you have to stock food in your house and be economical with your movement at this particular point in time so as to avoid being stranded. It is going to be a nationwide mass protest and we are sure that it will affect every corner of the country. We are seriously mobilising across the nation. We are currently at work at the secretariat alongside the CSOs.

“We may not shut down the power supply system, but as the protest goes on, we may shut down other places depending on the response of the government. The (Friday) meeting didn’t hold at all. The government side was not prepared. The representatives were not available. They didn’t show any seriousness towards what they were doing. One of the things we do is hold dialogues. We don’t run away from the table anytime they call us. We are having another meeting with them on Monday,” he said.

As Nigerians await the outcome of the proposed meeting between the government and the organised labour, NewsOrient observes the worsening the tension and fear in Nigerians.

“We are suffering untold hardship in this country. It’s unimaginable that prices of everything will just rise in this fashion without any visible effort on the part of government to save the people. The situation is too bad. We want NLC protest to hold though we do not have money to stock our homes or get foodstuffs,” said Madam Mercy Ozode in Lagos.

Mallam Isa Mahmoud on his part told NewsOrient that “government should do everything to avert this mass protest at this period. Nigerians are really suffering and hungry. Nobody can predict the outcome of a nationwide protest today by hungry, angry and frustrated Nigerians. It may get out of hand.”

• http://newsorientng.com