• Sets Up Fresh Meetings With Workers

• By Halimah Olamide

The Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government is making frantic efforts to stave off the proposed nationwide strike by the organised labour.

The OPS had picked October 3 as the commencement date for a nationwide indefinite strike by all workers.

Mobilising all critical sectors of the economy to ensure maximum impact of the strike, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has said that it is backing the strike with the possibilities of halting supplies of products nationwide.

The NLC has also secured the buy in of the national electricity workers union to ensure that there is no power during the strike.

Sultan of Sokoto, who is also the President General of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, who spoke at an event marking the nation’s independence said he is an advocate of dialogue.

He emphasised the need for dialogue to find solutions to the issues “instead of embarking on a strike”.

”I am an advocate of dialogue because strikes don’t solve problems; they make them worse. Our leaders must tighten their belt, the common man is suffering.

‘”I don’t think this government will just decide to make life bad for the people; as leaders and elders, we will always call on stakeholders not to embark on journeys that will make life worse for the common man.

“I don’t think government can take it upon itself to make life unbearable for the common man, let’s give them chance and see what they can do,” he said.

According to him, the strike will add more problems to the existing economic situation.

”If people are on strike, there wouldn’t be electricity, water, hospital and transportation system.

”Please, let’s reach out to our brothers and sisters who are clamouring to go on strike. They should have a rethink,” the Sultan appealed.

This was just as the government called representatives of workers to another meeting in the office of the Chief of Staff to the President late Friday night.

The meeting was said to have been earlier slated for 12 noon but was shifted to Friday evening.

The NLC had on Thursday said there was no pact with the government to stop the strike.

The congress in a statement by Director of Press, Benson Ujah, said the government has demonstrated enough its disdain for Nigerian masses.