Consultations between President Bola Tinubu and organised labour continued late Tuesday night, as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said any final decision on its proposed industrial action would only be taken after further internal deliberations.
Gatekeepers News reports that Labour leaders met President Tinubu behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid heightened public attention over the possibility of protests and strike action.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero, described the engagement as a consultation rather than a conclusive negotiation, noting that labour leaders would first brief the congress’s internal organs before making any public announcement.
“We came for consultation with the President, and we are finished, so we have to go back to our meeting and then continue tomorrow,” Ajaero said. “By tomorrow, we will get the outcome.”
Asked whether the NLC was still insisting on proceeding with its planned protest, Ajaero declined to take a definitive position, stressing that decisions within the congress are collective.
“If I’m insisting or not insisting, I will communicate that to you,” he said. “It is not an organisation that one person rules. We will go back to the drawing board, digest all that Mr President said to us, and move forward from there.”
Also present at the meeting was the Imo State Governor and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who said sustained dialogue remained the best approach to resolving outstanding issues between labour and the government.
“Consultation is going on. We were dialoguing, and like His Excellency said, at the end of the day, you will know what you are supposed to know and what you want to know,” Uzodinma said.
Responding to questions on what Nigerians should expect from the engagement, the governor said all parties were acting in the national interest.
“We are here to serve the country, the labour, the government and the governed. We are all working in service to the nation,” he added.
The Minister of State for Labour, Mrs Nkiruka Onyejeocha, who also spoke with journalists after the meeting, said labour leaders welcomed the opportunity to engage President Tinubu directly and expressed reassurance following the discussions.
“They are citizens who are also members of the NLC. They wanted to see Mr President, and they’ve seen Mr President,” Onyejeocha said. “They are happy they’ve had firsthand engagement and that at least the President has driven the economy out of the woods. It is very good news.”
The ongoing consultations come amid heightened economic pressures and labour demands, with Nigerians closely watching for clarity on whether industrial action will proceed. Labour leaders are expected to reconvene their internal meetings, after which a clearer position on the next steps is expected to emerge.
