THE NIGERIA Labour Congress (NLC) and the Presidency on Wednesday exchanged harsh words over an alleged promise made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the wage negotiation at the Presidential Villa before organised labour accepted N70,000 as national minimum wage.
The bickering arose following the reaction on Wednesday by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Print Media, who described who dismissed a claim by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero in a press statement on Tuesday as “false”.
Comrade Ajaero, had in the statement reacting to the fresh hike in the price of petrol stated that President Bola Tinubu betrayed organised labour by reneging on his promise during the negotiation to pick either N250,000 and increase in price of petrol or accept N70,000 and allow the price to remain the same.
While disclaiming Ajaero’s claim, Abdulaziz claimed that as a participant at meetings throughout the period of negotiation, no such promise was made, and accused the NLC President of playing “dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians.”
“I sat through the two meetings President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum wage. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange of fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians”, the presidential aide stated.
In its response to the Presidency, NLC stood by its earlier position that President Tinubu betrayed organised labour and Nigerians in general for offering them those two options only to renege thereafter.
In its statement Wednesday, signed by Comrade Benson Upah, NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, accused Abdulaziz of “selective amnesia or attention span deficit.”
NLC’s statement, entitled: “We Stand By Our Statement, reads:
“Our attention has been drawn to the denial credited to the Senior Special Assistant to Mr President on the Print Media, Mr Abdulaziz Abdulaziz. In the said statement, Abdulaziz was quoted as saying: “I sat through the two meetings President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange of fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians”.
“We find amusing the denial of Abdulaziz. We have since asked ourselves if he is suffering from selective amnesia or attention span deficit.
“However, not satisfied with his dubious denial, he elected to take a side dig at Comrade Joe Ajaero as “…once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians”.
“Whatever the matter is with Abdulaziz, we stand by our statement. And if Abdulaziz was at those meetings as he claimed, he should be courageous enough to let the world know whether the President gave the labour leaders one hour to meet and resolve to either accept and allow increase or accept N62,000.
“Labour leaders instead chose to meet outside the Villa and report in a week. When they came back, they were blunt and rejected the offer.
“As for Abdulaziz’s side-dig, he should stop insulting the intelligence of Nigerians as they do not need Comrade Joe Ajaero to know they have been taken for a ride and that life has never been this mean, all due to the policies of government.
“We also find it necessary to let Abdulaziz and those who sent him know that Nigerians are entitled to a decent, respectable life free from harassment, intimidation and starvation.
“Government may have all the ultimate weapons of coercion; true power resides with the people.
“Finally, we are also acutely conscious of the fact that falsehood does not live forever.”
