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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reaffirmed the validity of its previous statements regarding the recent negotiations between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and its leadership.
The reaffirmation was made known by the union’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah in a press statement made available to pressmen on Wednesday.
The union’s comment was a response to a denial from Mr. Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, who claimed that no offer was made in exchange for the fuel price increase. Upah criticized Abdulaziz for allegedly misrepresenting the events and accused him of undermining the intelligence of Nigerians.
He emphasized that despite government denials, the ultimate power rests with the people and dismissed Abdulaziz’s comments as attempts to distract from the real issues affecting ordinary
citizens.
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.
