On Wednesday, the House of Representatives decided to work with their Senate counterparts to try and terminate the current countrywide walkout that was started by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
The resolution was adopted during the plenary session after the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, presented a motion of “Urgent National Importance.”
The motion was made in response to the Labour movement’s order, which saw the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) close all of the gates leading into the National Assembly compound in Abuja.
In his lead discussion, Hon. Kalu asked the House leadership to work with the Senate counterpart and the leadership of Organised Labour to find a long-term solution to their demands. He did this by referencing the items on the recently introduced legislative agenda of the 10th House.
In addition, he asked the NLC to accept a conversation and to trust the parliament.
Speaking on behalf of the administration, of which I am happy to be a part, the Deputy Speaker said, ‘If you turn to Page 10 of our legislative agenda, which we unveiled yesterday, Mr Speaker, the mission statement reads, ‘Nigeria faces numerous challenges across various sectors and legislative interventions are crucial for addressing these issues and driving positive change.”
“As People’s Representatives, we critically acknowledge that Nigerians and our constituents have a right to know what issues are being addressed and what priorities their elected representatives focus on,” the next paragraph reads. Accountability and public trust are increased by this transparency.
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As a result, the 10th House is now known as the People’s House. We, the leaders of this Assembly, including you, have christened this place the People’s House, Mr. Speaker.
“You continued by saying that the goal of this Agenda is to promote significant public participation and to motivate stakeholders and citizens to take part in discussions, hearings, and consultations pertaining to the objectives that have been established.
“Mr. Speaker, given the allusions to your official mission statement and the pledge you made to Nigerians on the day we were elected to head the 10th Assembly, it would be disingenuous of us to pretend that we are unaware of the current condition of affairs in our nation.
We received a phone early this morning telling us not to come for sitting, that the rooms would be closed, and that the people who turned on the lights would not be present.
I was informed, however, that you had persevered and said, “Mr. Speaker, we cannot engage our people from the comfort of our homes. We will engage them when we sit together. that many of us were inspired to visit the Parliament by your decision to enter the National Assembly.
We came because the NLC, who had threatened to go on a big nationwide strike yesterday, is the source of a burning issue in Nigeria. It would be improper for us to leave this House today without investigating this matter.
“I wish that the Nigerian Unions, the National Labour Congress, and the NLC would trust us once more. that when it’s essential, we’ll engage as usual through diplomacy. They ought to have faith in us once more to work together to find long-term remedies for their suffering.
“We can have a conversation, and I pray that the Senate and House leadership will meet with this resentful NLC as soon as possible to help us find a long-term solution to their needs.”
Several legislators bemoaned the suffering that the two-day strike was causing to Nigerians in their individual submissions to the motion, pleading with Organised Labour to end the walkout.
The session’s Speaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, gave his assurance in his ruling that the House leadership would meet with the Senate to make sure that immediate action is made to break the impasse.
The plenary was then postponed until the following legislative day.
