USAfrica: Nigerians and Nigeria face rough days ahead with collapse of government-labour 2nd negotiations

USAfrica: Nigerians and Nigeria face rough days ahead with collapse of government-labour 2nd negotiations on removal of fuel subsidy.

Special to USAfricaonline.com, the USAfrica-powered e-groups of Nigeria360, UNNalumni, IgboEvents and CLASSmagazine Houston

USAfrica: Nigerians and Nigeria will continue to face rough days ahead with collapse on Saturday night of the intense government-labour 2nd round of negotiations on the removal of fuel-petroleum subsidy by President Goodluck Jonathan. Apparently, the negotiations between the Nigerian labour unions’ leadership and the federal

USAfrica: Nigerians and Nigeria face rough days ahead with collapse of government-labour 2nd negotiations — President Goodluck Jonathan

government of Nigeria to come to some level of agreement towards settling the controversial and disputed removal of fuel-petroleum “subsidy” has not, yet, yielded any fruits.

USAfrica’s Executive Editor (Nigeria) Obinwa Nnaji reports that the president of the Nigeria Labor Congress Abdulwaheed Omar as leaving at the end of Saturday night’s with the look of concern as he told reporters at the presidential villa: “We have not reached a compromise.”

With those 6 words, Nigeria may be thrown into more difficult days ahead; especially if the oil and gas workers’ union threat to shutdown as many oil production lines as possible is executed. Labour sources around the group’s leadership informed USAfrica they are having second thoughts over the impact of the previously announced move.

The two biggest labour groups NLC and TUC agreed prior to Saturday’s meeting to suspend the strikes for 48 hours (Saturday and Sunday) to allow Nigerians some time for access to foods and supplies. Accordingly, in a joint statement from Nigeria’s main labor unions, the NLC and TUC, said that “The labor movement and its civil society allies after nationwide consultations has decided that Saturday and Sunday will be observed as strike, protest and rally-free days…. We ask Nigerians to utilize these days to rest, restock and get re-energized for the continuation of the strikes, rallies and protest from Monday.” Especially, it was anticipated to minimize the harsh impact of the safety-conscious shutting of the doors of some banks and financial institutions in some cities.

USAfrica correspondents in Nigeria’s 5 main regions informed our newsroom in Houston that the almost the entire banks in key cities did not open this weekend.

: The intervention of Nigeria’s national legislature leaders and 4 key governors contributed to the cooling off outcome at the meeting at the Abuja offices of the President. Meanwhile, the government has also added what a labor activist told USAfricaonline.com is “a very controversial and polarizing” announcement of “no work, no pay.”

Already, the price of automotive fuel has more than doubled in many cities with the pump price rocketing to N158 naira per liter from an average rate of N66 naira. The U.S is a major consumer/importer of Nigeria’s petroleum; its 6th largest supplier.

The strikes add to the many challenges of safety and national security, especially the targeted killings of Christians, Igbos and southern Nigerians residing in the northern region of Nigeria by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. (see Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfrica, USAfricaonline.com and the Nigeria360 e-group. https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/)

Pastor Tunde Bakare, convener of the Save Nigeria Group (which led the public fight for Jonathan’s succession of the late President Umar Yar’Adua) said in Lagos on, January 11, 2012: “In every nation, the sovereignty belongs to the people of the nation. You gave power to Jonathan. He has opened his mouth to say that there is Boko Haram in his bedroom and in his government. He is telling us that he cannot even protect himself…. Any government that lacks competence; any government that is corrupt cannot lead this country. On behalf of the people of Nigeria, we fire Jonathan from office. Jonathan you are fired! I serve quit notice on Jonathan on behalf of the people of this country.” FULL report here: https://usafricaonline.com/2012/01/11/resign-jonathan-asked-to-leave-by-buharis-deputy-tunde-bakare-others/

Bakare was retired Gen. Buhari’s Vice Presidential running mate in the 2010 elections and has continued to charge the government with the label of incompetence, lacking the will to fight corruption and refusing to listen to the demands of Nigerians to cancel President Jonathan’s decision to withdraw the petroleum subsidy.

USAfrica news index for January 1-January 15, 2012 show that the diasporan Nigerian communities in the key cities of London, New York, Washington DC., Atlanta, Houston (January 14) and Los Angeles are demonstrating against President Jonathan’s decision to withdraw the “subsidy” and sustained massive electronic and social media opposition to the decision in greater numbers. By Chido Nwangwu

• For seasoned insights and breaking news on these issues, log on to
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Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfrica, USAfricaonline.com and the Nigeria360 e-group. https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/ : IF any of the Nigerian President’s 100 advisers has the polite courage for the extraordinary task of reminding His Excellency of his foremost, sworn, constitutional obligation to the national interest about security and safety of Nigerians and all who sojourn in Nigeria, please whisper clearly to Mr. President that I said, respectfully: Nigerians, at home and abroad, are still concerned and afraid for living in what I call Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. FULL text of commentary at USAfricaonline.com https://usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=USAfrica+Chido+Nwangwu+al-qaeda+terrrorism+nigeria&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

https://usafricaonline.com/tag/al-qaeda/

310 killed by Nigeria’s ‘talibans’ in Bauchi, Yobe n Maiduguri; crises escalate. USAfricaonline.com on July 28, 2009. www.usafricaonline.com/chido.ngrtalibans09.html

http://www.groundreport.com/World/310-killed-by-Nigerias-talibans-in-Bauchi-Yobe-n-M/2904584

Related and prior reporting on the Jos crises on USAfrica, click here: https://usafricaonline.com/2011/08/16/10-killed-in-renewed-violence-near-jos/

News archives related to Jos, here https://usafricaonline.com/?s=jos

USAfrica: As Egypt’s corrupter-in-chief Mubarak slides into history’s dustbin. By Chido Nwangwu. https://usafricaonline.com/2011/01/30/chido-nwangwu-as-egypt-corrupter-in-chief-mubarak-slides-into-historys-dustbin-egyptians-not-waiting-for-obama-and-united-nations/

Tunisia, Egypt . . . Is Nigeria next? By Prof. Rosaire Ifedi https://usafricaonline.com/2011/02/13/tunisia-egypt-is-nigeria-next-by-prof-rosaire-ifedi/