Mr Olusegun Oshinowo, Director-General (DG), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), has advised organised labour not to shut down the economy, but be patient with the present government.
Oshinowo gave the advice while answering questions from newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday.
He said that rather than going on strike, the organised labour and the civil society groups should enlighten voters to use their votes to promote good governance.
“We are in a democratic dispensation. Rather than shut down the economy through strike, labour and the civil society coalition should be patient, organise and enlighten voters on the power of their votes to promote good governance,’’ he said.
The DG said that the government should ensure that key stakeholders are invited to a dialogue to fashion ways that would provide palliatives for ameliorating the short term pains of the subsidy removal.
He also advised the Federal Government to protect the rights of Nigerians who would rather be at work than be prevented by organised labour from accessing their places of work.
“We expect government to stand up and defend its conviction; maintain its line, particularly in this instance when the action taken will be to the benefit of our country.
“The government should not abdicate governance to organised labour and civil society organisations by reversing the deregulation policy,’’ Oshinowo said.
He said that over the years organised labour has never supported deregulation, and had always had its way through the use of strikes and strangulation of economic activities to compel government to back off from its position.
According to the NECA boss, there was no question about the fact that the subsidy regime has failed and that private sector operators, as key stakeholders in the economy, have insisted on deregulation.
He commended the government for embracing deregulation and the liberalisation policy which would end corruption and the anti-development policy of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit.
