Rise Above Sentiments, APC Stalwart, Lukman, Urges NLC

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has called on the organised labour to rise above the narrow sentiment of playing to the gallery based on some deceptively flimsy argument of a so-called silver bullet.

Lukman, in a statement yesterday, faulted the leadership of NLC for dismissing the president’s speech, and noted that the mere fact that the president found it compelling to address the nation given the difficulties Nigerians were facing since the withdrawal of fuel subsidy was commendable. 

He stressed that if anything, this confirmed that Tinubu was not in denial and also aspired to ensure that his government was responsive.

Lukman acknowledged that there would be gaps in the proposals by government, as well as  challenges in terms of implementation, especially when it comes to guaranteeing that broader interests of Nigerians were accommodated, but  swiftly dismissing them in the manner done by NLC was unacceptable and would not augur well for the country’s democracy. 

“Going through the NLC’s statement signed by Comrade Joe Ajearo, President of the NLC, one is tempted to conclude that the main objective of their response was more to dismiss all the policy proposals contained in the President’s address as a justification of why the scheduled national protest being organised by the NLC will go ahead on August 2. 

“Being a political opposition to the government of President Asiwaju Tinubu, nothing in the proposals contained in the national address merit acceptance as a solution to Nigeria’s problems by the NLC,” he said.

Lukman noted that as far as the NLC was concerned, repairs of refineries, unmasking those behind the subsidy fraud, matching public promises with commitment on issue of minimum wage, increasing salaries of workers by federal government, and promises of palliatives were the solutions to hardship facing Nigerians. 

The party chieftain, who wondered if the president’s address on Monday did not attempt to address these issues, added: “It is almost as if the NLC response was written even before the broadcast and therefore completely blind of all the proposals. 

“Having served the NLC, and conversant with the tradition of critically and dispassionately reviewing government’s policy proposals, it was disappointing that the NLC reduced its responses to generalised commentary without reference to the specific issues contained in President Tinubu’s national broadcast.

“As Nigerians, we must appeal to NLC leadership to rise above the narrow sentiment of playing to the gallery based on some deceptively flimsy argument of a so-called silver bullet, if you like silver bullet politics, which is simply egocentric and inconsistent with the interest of Nigerians, including that of the working class.”