National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, on Wednesday afternoon met leaders of the organised labour over ongoing nationwide strike in the country.
Ribadu had earlier begged the movement to rescind its decisions on the current development, saying the attackers of Ajaero had been arrested.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, the President of TUC, Festus Osifo, who led other labour leaders to the NSA’s office, did not state in clear terms when the strike would be suspended or totally called if off.
Osifo specifically said the conversations they had with the government officials would be taken to their respective organs and they would communicate accordingly.
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“We just came here for a meeting. NSA invited us for a meeting, and as you can see, two ministers from the ministry of labour and employment also participated.”
“We had a lot of robust conversations where a lot of assurances were given in furtherance to the release that was issued this morning by the NSA, that some people had been apprehended, and that he would coordinate the investigation.
“We also told him our part of the story. At the end of the day, they made several appeals to us and several promises on what and what they are going to do and the ones they have done currently.
“We then said, let’s go back, we will re-appraise the conversations that we’ve had and we will communicate accordingly. The strike was caused by something. The strike is a symptom of problems, so, it is the problems we came here for, to have conversations on.
“With all the assurances they have given us, with the office of the NSA, promising to coordinate everything, every discussion we’ve had here, we need to take it back to our organs,” Osifo told journalists.
Daily Trust reports that apart from Ribadu and Lalong, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyeajeocha; Acting Permanent Secretary Labour Ministry, Emmanuel Igbinosa, and the Director, Trade Union Services, were also in attendance.
Osifo was flanked by the NLC Secretary General, Emmanuel Ugboaja; TUC Secretary General, Nuhu Toro and among other labour leaders.
Addressing journalists earlier, Lalong said the meeting was held at the office of the NSA because of the security considerations associated with the strike and its genesis.
He said the two sides had frank, fruitful and genuine discussions on steps that have been taken by the government to address the concerns of labour over the incident in Imo State.
Lalong said the government officials were okay with labour leaders’ stance that they would take the outcome of the meeting back to their members and consider the plea of government to call off the strike in the interest of the nation.
