Femi Fani-Kayode, the former aviation minister and Director of New Media for the ruling All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council during the 2023 general election, has criticized the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for planning a protest against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Nigerian government.
Fani-Kayode accused the NLC leadership of hypocrisy and insincerity, pointing out their failure to go on strike during the country’s financial crisis caused by the Naira swap policy implemented by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He further claimed that the NLC was promoting the political interests of Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election. Fani-Kayode noted that the NLC did not threaten to strike when the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, introduced a policy that caused immense suffering and hardship for millions of Nigerians.
He criticized the NLC’s decision to protest the implementation of a well-thought-out policy on oil subsidy, which the Nigerian people supported by electing a President who promised to remove it. Fani-Kayode suggested that the NLC’s actions reflected their insincerity, double standards, and affiliation with Peter Obi.
Despite the NLC’s planned strike, Fani-Kayode emphasized that the removal of oil subsidy is inevitable and necessary to revive the economy and fund infrastructure development. He accused the NLC of being under the control of Peter Obi and following his orders without question. Fani-Kayode concluded that saving the country from fiscal challenges and restoring national development required the removal of oil subsidy, whether the NLC liked it or not.
Earlier reports indicated that the NLC had written to its 43 affiliate unions, urging them to mobilize for an industrial action starting on June 7, 2023. The NLC General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, signed the letter, calling for full compliance with the strike directive in both public and private sectors.
The strike was in response to the recent increase in the pump prices of petrol, which led to discontent among various NLC affiliates, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Nigeria Union of Teachers, Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, and National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives.
