Ngige notifies NLC leaders of implications of planned protest

The federal government has appealed to the Nigerian Labor Congress to cancel its planned protest against the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and other university unions.

Labor and Employment Secretary Chris Ngige made the request Thursday at a meeting with NLC leadership at his office.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of State, Labor and Employment, Festus Keyamo; and the Secretary of State of the Ministry, Ms. Kachollom Daju.

In his speech, Ngige briefed union leaders on the federal government's efforts to resolve the dilemma in the university system.

The NLC announced on July 17 that it would hold a nationwide protest on July 26-27 to pressure the federal government to end the five-month strike by ASUU and other college unions.

According to PUNCH, ASUU began industrial action on February 14 after the union called the government's failure to meet some of its demands.

In a press statement signed by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Employment's head of press and public relations, Olajide Oshundun, the minister reminded the NLC leadership that he had included them in the tripartite arbitration ongoing at his ministry and was aware of the efforts being made by the Government to solve the impasse, they cannot start rallies or protests.

He also told union leaders that the federal executive had hired him to brief them on the serious security implications of the planned protest.

According to him, a security report, also sent to his office by the Department of State Services, strongly warned against holding the protest.

He urged the NLC to reconsider the planned rally as crooks could exploit it to cause security breaches.

Ngige expressed the government's concern that politicians could take advantage of the rally to wreak havoc in the country.

He said: "The masses could misinterpret the rally as a ploy by the NLC to improve the chances of the Labor Party's presidential candidate, a situation which could spur supporters of the other political parties to violence.

“Section 40 of the Constitution is clear on freedom of association. One of the provisions is that like-minded people can organize and form a political party. There is also a provision that people in work or employment can organize in unions. Those are two parallels. Parallels do not meet.

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