There was no end in sight to the ongoing general strike in the country over the removal of fuel subsidy on Thursday night as the meeting between the Federal Government and organized Labour at the Presidential Villa, Abuja ended in a stalemate.
The government’s side was led by President Goodluck Jonathan while the presidents of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar, and Trade Congress, Mr. Peter Esele, led a 17-man delegation from organised Labour and civil society to the meeting.
Omar told journalists after the meeting that the strike would continue as no agreement was reached at the meeting. He also said another discussion had been scheduled for Saturday.
The meeting began at 5pm at the Presidential Villa and Labour demanded that government must revert from N141 to N65.
THE PUNCH learnt that the Labour and civil society delegation joined the meeting at 6.30pm.
Jonathan and Sambo left shortly after the Labour leaders arrived at the meeting venue. But they returned hours later.
The strike and protests entered their fourth day today.
Earlier in the day, Mark confirmed that the meeting would hold, in a short interview with Senate correspondents in Abuja.
Speaking after meeting with Labour leaders at his residence, Mark said the Senate had succeeded in getting both sides to discuss the January 1, 2012 controversial removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.
“Our efforts are to ensure that Labour and government sit down to discuss the issues and I think we have achieved that. There is going to be a meeting today between the government and the leadership of Labour,” Mark said.
ABUJA – (AFP) – Negotiations on Thursday between labour leaders and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan made progress but have not concluded and a nationwide strike will continue, a union leader said.
“The outcome is that we have not concluded discussions yet, but we have had very fruitful discussions,” Nigeria Labour Congress president Abdulwahed Omar told journalists on the fourth day of the strike.
“We have to continue on Saturday afternoon… Until we conclude the discussions, we maintain the status quo,” he said after talks broke up for the day.
The meeting between labour leaders and Jonathan was the first since the strike that has brought tens of thousands into the streets in protest against the scrapping of fuel subsidies began on Monday.
Earlier Thursday, Nigeria’s main oil workers union said it would begin shutting down crude production on Sunday in Africa’s largest oil producer as it piled pressure on the president ahead of the talks.
Also, eminent Nigerians such as former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former President Shehu Shagari; clerics, politicians; and leaders of thought had pleaded with Jonathan to revert the price.-Punch
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