‘We Need To Tell President To Fix Things, We Don’t Need Strike’ – Osinbajo’s Ex-Aide Tells NLC

Laolu Akande, a former spokesman for ex-Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has described the ongoing national strike as a distraction.

According to Akande, Nigeria has more significant problems to deal with, especially the current hardship being faced by Nigerians and the fiscal crisis of the Federal Government.

Speaking on Channels TV, Akande said the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) should charge the President to end issues affecting the country rather than embark on strike.

He said, “Mr president has said that the bucks stop at his table, so we need to address Mr President and say, look Mr president fix this. We don’t need this distraction.

“The nation has more important problems to deal with. The people are suffering, the last thing that people want to have to deal with is a national strike. We don’t need this strike, and I believe it can be sorted out quickly. I don’t see a very big problem here.”

When asked whether the strike was political or not, Akande said, “That is why we have leaders. Our leaders are political leaders, elected political leaders to solve political problems.

“We have to balance it. The labour does have a responsibility, is it entirely right to bring the entire nation to its knees because of a local issue in Imo? Wouldn’t it have been better to localize this thing in Imo? That’s for labour.

“I am not sure that punishing the whole country for whatever it is that is happening in Imo State, I’m not sure that is the right decision on the part of the labour movement. But for government, starting from the President, all the way down, this is something that can be sorted out with a single phone call. A phone call from the Villa to the Labour leaders would get them running into the Villa. You know this is not the first time the government has had to deal with Labour.

“This is the kind of action that we need. We don’t need any further delay, we need the President to get on the ball and sort this thing out and he can sort it out very quickly. Mr President fix this.”

He condemned the attack on the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, recently in Imo State, and described the treatment as “criminal.”