Labour’s strike is a distraction, Tinubu should step in quickly – Laolu Akande

Former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, has described the ongoing national strike as a “distraction” and cautioned that the nation has bigger problems to deal with especially the current hardship being faced by Nigerians and the fiscal crisis of the Federal Government. Featuring on Channels TV’s “Politics Today” anchored by Seun Okinbaloye on Channels TV, on […]

Former presidential aide, Laolu Akande, has described the ongoing national strike as a “distraction” and cautioned that the nation has bigger problems to deal with especially the current hardship being faced by Nigerians and the fiscal crisis of the Federal Government.

Featuring on Channels TV’s “Politics Today” anchored by Seun Okinbaloye on Channels TV, on Tuesday, Akande appealed to President Bola Tinubu to put an end to myriad national problems compounded by the national strike ordered by the National Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), saying leaders are elected to deal with crises.

He advised an immediate intervention from the Presidency in the circumstances, saying all it requires is a simple phone call from to invite labour leaders for a meeting and fix the problems.

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 that it can be sorted out as quickly as possible. I don’t see a very big problem here.”

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

Akande however pleaded with the labour movement as well, saying, “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 was however categorical in condemning the inhumane treatment meted out to the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Joe Ajaero, recently in Imo State, and described the treatment as “criminal.”