The Senate on Wednesday pleaded with the organized labour to shelve the protests and the industrial action they started on Monday morning for the upper legislative chamber to mediate between it and the Federal Government over the hardship occasioned by the fuel subsidy withdrawal.
Despite governments clandestine moves to throw spanners in the works, including court injunctions and long-drawn negotiation meetings, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) made true its threats to protest and commence a nationwide industrial action.
However, at the gate of the National Assembly the security barricaded the entrance to prevent then from gaining entry, but the workers broke down the barricade as they matched through to the arcade of the National Assembly where they addressed the leadership of the national Assembly
The Chief Whip of the senate, Senator Muhammed Ali Ndume representing Borno South Senatorial District spoke on behalf of the Senate leadership along with senator Tony Nwoye representing Anambra North and Senator Ireti Kingibe representing the FCT.
Ndume in his speech pleaded with the protesters that they sebate has a motion on ground concerning Labour adding that the Senate is going to be involved.
“Please give us one week and we will report progress. So I am begging you to call off the strike and give us one week and we would report progress and if you are not satisfied with the progress we would be making then you can take further action.
“I come here in solidarity, let me say one thing, please I beg you in the name of God let us take what we are doing seriously. Let us know that God is watching us, let it not be that we came here and wave banners, let us be able to solve the problems in this country once and for all.
“I speak because I know what I went through to escape poverty. The immediate past President of NLC is from my constituency and he knows me very well. I am a son of the poor that became somebody without knowing anybody.
He said at that time when Nigeria was working, he was able to go to public school, “I was able to public higher institution, I was able to get three jobs at a time but now things have changed. “Who changed, it is we and we are supposed to do the change, the members of the national assembly are your representatives. I came here by the grace of God and our people especially the workers. I am a sixth term member of the national assembly by the grace of God and the support I received from people like Waba therefore comrades please let us be serious, we have a problem in this country.
“The problem has to be solved by ourselves. Let me tell you that whether we like it or not as your representatives we must represent you. In response to what the leadership is doing, the National Assembly has been following keenly what is going on.
“When we realized that there was a breakdown in the discussion between the Presidency and the NLC, on Monday one of our colleagues brought a motion on this Labour crises that we are facing and the need for the Senate to intervene.
“The motion came up before we started the screening of Ministers and all the senators were cosponsors and that is to look at what is happening and why the discussion was stalled.
He declared support for what the NLC president Joe Ajaero said, “I understand now he was saying before that the NLC should be negotiating with either the President or the Vice President.
“And if because of their schedule the acceptable representation would continue the negotiation. We stand with you on that and as I said please have confidence in the National Assembly, give us a trial, let the leadership of the senate be involved in the negotiation.
“Two senators here are from the Labour Party. While I am from the ruling APC, they cannot afford to disappoint you or fail you. If they do that after 1400days that is four years they will come back to look for your votes so they know what they will loose if they fail you.
He said he will take the letter to the leadership of which he is one adding that as the President was reading he was paying attention.
“Senate will make this their demands their terms of reference and please as I said, this is a very strong message but we are all Nigerians.
“This country belong to all of us. As long as we are involved the negotiation we should also be mindful of the consequences of our action unfortunately the people that will suffer more are our people”
He said those who harass them at the gate are also poor as there is no son of a senator that is a sergeant or a constable.
He said the problem is with the ordinary people who fight themselves.
He said the serjeant At Arms came to tell him that there were Labour people out there and the police had blocked them, “I told him to allow them to come in and wait for us to come and address them. It is not that we are completely insensitive we are Nigerians.
“As I said, unfortunately most of those who are fond of maltreating people are from the poor.
“How many are rich as Nigerians they are very few. Majority of our senators are from the poor, the police harassing us are from the poor, majority of those people are the poor.
“They are just lucky to be part of the security and you are in the labour that is the difference. Mr President I give you my words and I give the leadership my word and then you should let Nigeria know, we should carry Nigerians along.
“We should be considerate on the impact or effect of our actions on Nigerians, so that if you are fighting somebody and you are not supposed to kill him, please beat him but don’t kill him.
“So if you are beating to teach that person a lesson, don’t kill us please, beat us but don’t kill us.”
Ndume’s speech was greeted with applause from the organised labour who were in agreement with the Senate’s position.
The National President of the Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero had earlier read a summary of their message to the Senate listing their issues to include the fuel price increase and Naira devaluation killing Local industries.
Ajero said they want an end to high cost of transportation as he also demanded for CNG buses
“Let the poor breathe by stopping the reckless price increases, pay living wage and give support to informal workers.
They also demanded that government stop the increase in school fees as education is the right of the people
Ajaero also demanded that government pay University workers their 8 months salary arrears.
“Nigerians are suffocating, Tinubu let Nigerians breathe, Listen to Nigerians not IMF or World Bank.
He also demanded that the refineries in the country should be made to be functional so that Nigeria do not need to import fuel.
The Protesting workers driven by anger, had torn down the entrance gates of the National Assembly in Abuja.
Led by Organised Labour figures Joe Ajaero from the Nigeria Labour Congress and Festus Osifo from the Trade Union Congress, had requested security personnel stationed at the legislative building to open the gates, to give the agitated workers a chance to voice their discontent.
When the security officials failed to comply, the irate protesters forcefully dismantled the gates and swarmed into the assembly complex to air their grievances.