PRESS RELEASE ON THE STRIKE ACTION BY THE NIGERIAN LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC)

The Nigerian Medical Association notes with surprise the haphazard efforts made by the Federal Government to avert the strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in defence of the Nigerian people.

We are at a loss to understand the difficulties of the President, Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’Adua, to distance himself from the illegal actions of the past Obasanjo government. The fuel price like the Values Added Tax (VAT) increase were the final “Kiss of Death” intended for the Nigerian people by the Obasanjo government.

Like most actions of the past government, these decisions including the sales of the refinery were policies that were done arbitrarily without any well thought-out plan. They have also been said to be illegal actions by Labour. To this extent therefore, it can not and should not be allowed to stand. To us, the actions of NLC are appropriate and timely.

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) will like to warn the Federal Government that any attempt to ignore the patriotic demands of labour or to clampdown on the leaders of the Labour Union will trigger an immediate response from NMA. We will not hesitate to call our members nationwide to join the strike in sympathy with the Labour Congress who are indeed on the side of the Nigerian people on this issue.

We are also worried by the utterances of the Secretary to the Federal Government, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe. Why does Government Officials always see Politics in everything? To label the NLC strike as Political is unfortunate. The government needs to feel the pulse of the nation. The right thing to do is to revert the price of petrol to N65. This is what is acceptable to the Nigerian people. After all, what has government done with all the money saved from previous increases?

This new increase, if allowed to stand, will pauperize the Nigerian people. It is well known that poverty worsen ill health and ill health creates more poverty.

The Association once again, appeal to the government to listen to the voice of reasons expressed by Nigerians and rescind these obnoxious and anti–people decisions of a truly failed government headed by General Olusegun Obasanjo. The NMA believes that the Will of Nigerian masses should be supreme in a democratic setting.

Dr. Dan Gana, mni		Dr. Adedamola Dada
President		Secretary-General