Dailytab24 accesses the resolve the trade union and tactics of the federal government
By Dailytab24
Background
The regime of President Bola Amed Tinubu is becoming clueless and incessantly careless; the self-acclaimed master strategist is turning his democratic administration into dictatorship—trying to fight wars on multiple fronts—because there is no plan at hand to address the many problems facing the country.
The administration is even losing its respect and is now going after citizens and the country’s trade union with intent to intimidate the trade union into submission.
There is a clear difference between being feared and being respected; the latter is gotten honourably, while the former is gotten through dishonourable actions.
The dishonourable actions of the administration is the quest to consign the country’s trade union into fear, where they can be perpetually made voiceless.
The administration of president Bola Amed Tinubu has failed to take good care of workers in the country, and now they try to be the bad guys that bully others to quiet.
The country’s trade union has been outspoken, making everything possible to ensure the survival of the country’s workers amidst the economic hardship facing the country. The administration wants to quiet the union.
With a deteriorated economy and a high price of fuel, the citizens are now finding it hard to survive with the status quo, and change has become a necessity. The necessity is under draconian threat.
Nigeria relies on importation, and the exchange rate in the country is now biting harder than imagined.
The administration remains indecisive, without any significant or positive move made so far to address the exchange rate. This means that everything in the country could collapse with inflation skyrocketing like never seen before.
Where the Problem Began
Immediately after President Bola Amed Tinubu won the election, he announced the removal of fuel subsidies without taking time to study the situation.
No matter the knowledge one possessed outside political position, especially that of the apex office of the country, he cannot exactly determine the knots and bots of the economy or how the country survives.
President Bola Amed Tinubu rushed his policies without sitting down in the apex office of the country to study the situation of the country before making decisions.
He took a decision prior to assuming office, and that backfired, leaving the country on its knees.
There is no way back now because his ego is at stake; maybe he has now learnt that the country needs a decisive approach and not a face value approach.
The country’s trade union is the common line between the people and the government; they are positioned to pressure the government to embrace people-orientated policies.
The battle for the survival of the country is always in the hands of the trade union, and to fight for the people, the trade union must step on the toes of politicians in the country.
Government’s Action
The actions of the country’s trade union now threaten the impunity of the administration towards workers and people in the country, and the government is poised to fight back.
The trade union first demanded a minimum wage increase, which the government refused, as a result, the battle line was drawn between the government and the trade union, leading to protest and civil disobedience.
The government is aware that civil disobedience from the trade union of the country would shut down the country, and as soon as the country was shut down, the government called for negotiation with the trade union, and a new minimum wage was announced and signed into law.
Knowing that the trade union won the first round of the battle, the government decided to change its approach towards the trade union.
The government of President Bola Amed Tinubu decided to use court and the country’s security operatives to frustrate the country’s trade union.
The move is aimed at bullying the leaders of the trade union to force them to submit to the government. Should the government put the country’s trade union under its wimps and caprices, then there would be no organised body fighting the government to do what is right.
President Bola Amed Tinubu’s administration has invaded the offices of the country’s labour union and charged them with trumped-up charges, all to force the trade union leadership to submit to it.
The offices of the trade union have been ransacked, and its leaders arrested and attacked. The union is under intense attack from the government by all means possible. The attacks have seen arrests, assaults, threats, and office invasions used against the trade union leaders.
Conclusion
The move being made by the administration of Bola Amed Tinubu is the only option it has because it doesn’t want to listen to the people or embrace people-orientated policies.
President Tinubu is determined to be the boss of himself and not mind whatsoever anyone thinks in the country.
The trade union is standing on his way, and he is determined to take it out at all costs.
International organisations have reacted to the attack on the country’s trade union and warned the administration to steer clear of the affairs of the trade union and allow it to go about its missions without interference.
The administration has used the recent protest against hunger and bad governance carried out by the country youths to make up terrorism and treasonable felony charges against the leadership of the country’s trade union.
The government accused the trade union of being behind the protest or supporting the protest against the administration.
Even if that is the case, protest is one of the legal civil tools the trade union can use against the government if it tends to be authoritative and hurting the people.
Will the country’s trade union collapse under the intense pressure and threats against it will be seen in weeks and months to come?
Currently, the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress has not surrendered, but faces couple of legal challenges. The leadership is determined to change the narrative, but a lot will be invested in the quest.
