President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday night met with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in a bid to persuade organised labour to shelve its planned nationwide protest over worsening insecurity.
The closed-door meeting drew wide public attention amid fears of protests and possible strike action across the country.
Speaking after the meeting, NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, described the engagement as a consultation rather than a final agreement, stressing that labour would brief its internal organs before reaching a decision. “We came for a consultation with the President, and we are finished. So we have to go back to our meeting and then continue tomorrow (today),” he said.
Also at the meeting were Imo State Governor and APC Governors’ Forum Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma, and Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha. While Uzodinma emphasised dialogue, Onyejeocha said labour leaders welcomed direct engagement with the President.
The NLC is expected to reconvene and announce its position on the protest after further deliberations.