Senate Reacts As Protesters Pull Down NASS Gate

The Senate has reacted to the ongoing nationwide protest by organized labour, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

We reported earlier that the Abuja chapter of organized labour, on Wednesday, stormed the National Assembly complex and, in the process, broke down the entrance gate.

The protesters had trooped out in their hundreds from the Unity Fountain in Abuja to the NASS Complex to express their grievance over what it described as the “anti-poor” people policies of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Upon their arrival at the NASS Complex, the protesters pulled down the first gate of the Complex after security agents attempted to stop them and marched to the premises forcefully.

Due to the development, the Senate, led by President Godswill Akpabio, immediately entered into a closed-door session and eventually resolved that the red chamber had set up a three-man committee to meet with the protesters at the National Assembly.

Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume led the committee set up to dialogue with protesting unions.

The Senate also resolved that it will, in the shortest possible time, meet with the NLC and TUC leadership to find an amicable resolution to the current impasse.

Ndume, alongside two other lawmakers — Senator Ireti Kingibe and Senator Tony Nwonye — later met with the protesters at the National Assembly.

The Senators were seen engaging Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Joe Ajaero; and his TUC counterpart, Festus Osifo.

The organized union kicked off the demonstrations today in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and other states of the Federation, including Lagos, Abia, Plateau, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Zamfara, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kwara, Ogun, Imo, Ondo, and Edo.

The unions are expressing dissatisfaction with the removal of fuel subsidy by President Tinubu, which has inflated the price of the commodity from N184 to over N620, and food prices and general inflation are galloping at an unprecedented rate.

Last week, the NLC issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and demanded “the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the federal government including the recent hike in PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salary of university lecturers and workers”.

The union also demanded an upward review of the minimum wage from N30,000 to N200,000, saying that since the President’s “subsidy is gone” inauguration speech of May 29, 2023, the peace of mind of Nigerians has gone.

Several meetings between the Presidency and the unions on palliatives for Nigerians suffering hardship in the wake of the petrol subsidy removal proved abortive.