 Sam, for our first hot topic, address the consequences of the federal price hikes. Review the minimum wage. Provide a walkable roadmap to the CNG alternative. Fix the country's refineries and pay electoral salary areas. These are some of the demands of the Nigeria Labor Congress and the failure of the government to meet these demands have led to one in strike with a major shutdown scheduled to take place at the end of this week. To avoid the major shutdown, the federal government held a meeting with the NLC yesterday, that's Monday. That meeting, however, reportedly ended without a concrete resolution to the union's demands. We're taking a look at that right now with Mohammed Abdul-Lahi. Public relations analysts joined us from Niger State. Good morning to you, Mohammed. Good morning. It's all just my pleasure. Good morning, Nigerians. Pleasure to have you. Mohammed, you've followed the development. Tell us your assessment of the dialogue that took place between the federal government yesterday and the labor. Yes, it's nothing new from what have been occurring in our country in the past decade, where the federal government always waited the very last minute when the labor union was starting to strike before the call of meeting. And then most often they are not, the meetings end up in stalemate, you know, both parties not really agreeing to a concrete decision, like you rightly mentioned. So yesterday was not something any different. Again, I think the challenges, again, is the fact that Nigerians already know that the labor union is a kind of factionalized at the moment, where we have the Nigerian Labor Congress, NLC, which has been in the forefront over the years of pursuing the workers' rights. And then we have the Trade Union Congress, the TUC, which supposedly and originally supposed to be part of the labor union Congress, but for some three years at the moment, they've been having a kind of headlong diversification and making differences with the labor union. So they have been different, I mean, from the NLC's decisions, they are very different. Most times, whenever they call or strike, they tend to not join. They tend to, most times, if I'm not mind saying what, follow straight along what the federal government is doing. So that creates a kind of dichotomy and a kind of challenging decisions for the labor union management and leadership generality. So what am I trying to say? I'm saying, yes, inasmuch as there is a kind of differences and as a kind of a factionalization in the workers' union, I think the federal government or the government at large will continue to have its way in not fulfilling its promise to Nigerian workers and then some of the rights and some of the privileges that the NLC is fighting for, perhaps might not be fulfilled because they are not working with one house. They have a divided house, like I said, the NLC and the TUC have not been getting along for a while. If you remember, the last meeting that was even called before yesterday, only the TUC attended. The NLC did not attend before, especially meeting was also arranged for the NLC. So with that kind of divided house, the federal government will always have its way and then it's not the win-win situation or it's going to be a bad situation for Nigerian workers and even Nigerian masses as a whole. So in a nutshell, the meeting yesterday didn't really produce anything concrete, perhaps by the end of this month or maybe the latest in a week's time, Nigerian Labour Congress might have no option than to call up an indefinite strike. Well the TUC also did not join the NLC for the one in strike which they carried out a while ago. Why do you think the TUC and the NLC are not on the same page? I think it's a simple fact that there is a kind of possible leadership, both parties trying to feel perhaps superior and the TUC is not wanting to bow to the Nigerian Labour Congress. Even though the NLC has been there for a donkey, yes, the TUC is supposed to be a subsection, I mean a sub-party of the NLC. So I see in my own opinion, I see a kind of toss of leadership, each party is trying to superimpose itself ahead of the other and then each party is trying to play the part of being more important, you know, and then federal government is saying okay, if the NLC is trying to play a very delicate game, we can as well negotiate with the TUC. Don't forget that TUC also, the Tribunal of Congress also encompasses a whole lot of other sub-workhouse groups and so on and so forth. So they are quite strong on their own, their reach is very wide and so on and so forth. So to answer your question directly, I see like I keep mentioning a toss of leadership between both unions and which is so unfortunate. I think if both unions come together and moment where we have a divided house, both parties of both union trying to outdo each other and trying to be smarter than each other, presenting themselves to the federal government in a divided way. Okay, so the NLC is of the opinion that none of the demands that have given out, none of the demands they've made have been met and they are very dogged this time and they are very, very certain that if nothing happens within the next four days to fix this, that they are definitely going to go on this strike. How effective a strike or how effective would your strike be if they do not go in unison with the TUC, do you think? It's going to be very challenging. Remember, the President is actually out of country since yesterday or two days ago for the United Nations assembly in New York and in fact many, I'm surprised that the Minister of Labour is not part of that delegation. So many of the big weeks in the country, the President, the Vice President, many ministers and even governors are out of the country at the moment. So in fact, it's not a good time to pick up the fight, I mean for NLC and the TUC. Having said that, with all the big weeks of the government out of the country, I see it as very impossible that any agreement could be reached at the moment because when the Minister of Labour is around to negotiate, he needs the buying of the President to ratify the negotiations and the agreement at the moment. So it's quite a kind of impossibility for the government and NLC to reach an agreement at the moment and then to answer your questions directly, over the years, strike action hasn't been quite effective for the Nigerian workers and the Mantis at large to be very candid. I am of the opinion and I keep saying that the NLC and other unions should actually look for other means to drive in their messages to government, you know, rather than insurmount strike here and there, particularly when over the years if you look at it, it's not been really effective. What it does is just ground activities in some part of the country or perhaps at least all of the part of the country economic activities are grounded. And then after two weeks, three weeks we go back to the status quo and so on and so forth. So I think there should be other effective means rather than strike action, one strike or different strike that we should be able to pass our messages. I would want to, some of the actions I am thinking are quite a bit radical. So I want to mention, but I will leave it to the leadership of the NLC to review over the years what they've been doing. It's not really effective and that is why government at all levels, particularly federal government, you know, devising means to have a divisive union so that one other union or one other party will fall into what they are saying and even while the NLC is really struggling, pursuing strike, if TUC also have a large family, if TUC do not follow suit then the strike becomes a bit, not even a bit, very ineffective. So yes, it's not going to be very effective if TUC do not join, if they do not have one house like I keep mentioning and I keep clamoring for, the strike definitely will not be effective because like I told you earlier, TUC have a whole lot of other subunions as well across the state. So in fact, it will be almost 50% of the NLC members might not be joining the strike or even more. So what effectiveness does that bring to the table if more than 50% of the union are not joining? So it's important that NLC goes back to the drain board, talks to TUC, they have a common ground, sort out their own differences and then aside the strike, look for other options to hold the government to the jugular so that they will be able to deliver on their own promises and the agreements that have been made whether now or in the past. Well critics have verited the NLC led by Joe Agero and he does appear poised now to prove a point that he's someone that should be taken seriously. However, I hear you when you say that strike may not be the best option. However, how would you say Simon along the minister of labor has been able to do this job of dialoguing with labor? How would you assess him as a minister? The minister is very new. The minister is just perhaps less than a mountain of it. So I think there is really no guideline now or there's really nothing to really review the minister with in terms of his action so far. So I think he's starting with what you may describe as baptism of fire. Could you say he's responding appropriately? His personality, do you think he's suited for this kind of, for this ministry he's been thrown into? Yeah, as a former governor for eight years I think he's suited for negotiations. That's what basically you do, you negotiate and keep negotiating with people, you know, the citizens and so on. So I think he's suited as an elder statesman, someone who is above 60 years. So he's suited but like I said, for me I think it needed more time. He's just thrown into the, he's just thrown under the bus. So it requires him to actually some of the agreements, some of the actions, I mean the past actions of the unions and come up with his own strategy. Like I said it doesn't have to, what government have been doing over the years is like wait for NLC to say okay we want to do this, we are planning a one strike, we are planning an indefinite strike before reacting, it's too reactionary. I believe government should be more proactive. So that's what I expect from the Labour Minister Hensford, I mean perhaps maybe every quarter you have a dialogue with the union, not when they say they want to go on strike, no. You have a dialogue, you have like a calendar of dialogue perhaps every quarter or every two months depending on what is suitable so that you keep reviewing what you discuss with the agreement and then the way forward. So in that way we have less of this one strike and indefinite strike by the unions if we keep reviewing what we've done and where we think we should be in the nearest future. I think that should be a better strategy. So let's give the Minister the benefit of the doubt that he will be able to carry out the actions and the duties appropriately in the nearest future. But three more days to the deadline, Labour says they are open to more talks if called for more dialogue. So I guess we just have to watch and see how it all plays out and see whether they will resolve this before the 22nd, right? We just watch and see. Hopefully, in Nigeria everything is very possible. Remember, I mean on the 21st there might be a meeting that will hold up until 4 a.m. of 22nd so we always do that so it's very possible. Do you think Nigerians, do you think Nigerians want this strike action? Do you think Nigerians want NLC to go for a total shutdown? Interestingly, in my own opinion, I think Nigerians want it there. I think, yes, my only two discussions with people here and there, I think Nigerians want it. They want to see actions from the NLC. They want to see like people have not been taken granted that everything the government has thrown upon Nigerians in these few months has just been taking hook, line and sinker. So I think Nigerians want it, but I don't necessarily feel it's the best option like I say, you know, with all the hardship here and there, we want to lock up everything in terms of the economy, close up shops, lock down the country. I don't think it's the best. But again, Nigerians want the government to feel like a little pinch concerning what every Nigerian is feeling at the moment in terms of economic woes and challenges. So, yeah, I think Nigerians want it, but it is not necessarily the best for the country at the moment. Mohammad Abdullah, thank you so much for your time. Thank you very much. My pleasure. We can continue this conversation on our social media platforms. Our earlier interview on NLC's meeting with the federal government, subscribe to our platforms on social media, and also connect with me on Facebook, on MenorTV, Maureen Onwizigwe, and Maureen Menor23 on X. That's the much you have for you today on the program. I am Maureen Menor Onwizigwe. Thanks for watching. Join us tomorrow for another episode of The Breakfast. Nyangu will be here. On behalf of the crew, I say have a pleasant morning.