Abuja, Nigeria — A high-stakes meeting between the leadership of the National Assembly and representatives from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) has ended without a resolution, setting the stage for a nationwide strike set to begin on Monday.
The meeting, which was presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives Speaker Tajuddeen Abbas, aimed to persuade the labour unions to suspend their planned strike action over minimum wage demands.
Despite earnest appeals from the Senate President, TUC President Festus Osifo confirmed that the strike would proceed as planned, subject to further discussions with their respective organs.
“The Senate President appealed to us to call off the strike. But we can’t sit here and call off the strike because we have other organs. We will take the appeals to our various organs,” Osifo stated to reporters after the meeting. “We don’t have the powers to call off the strike action. For now, the strike action will commence, while we discuss with our organs.”
The meeting saw the attendance of several top government officials, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning.
In a related development, aviation unions have already declared their intention to join the strike, announcing the withdrawal of services at airports across the country.
As the clock ticks towards the planned strike, the government and labour unions remain at an impasse, leaving Nigerians bracing for widespread disruptions.
