Buhari Has Accepted Dialogue As Solution To South-East Crisis — Ngige

*Briefs President On Industrial Disputes

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted that dialogue is the way
to go in resolving the situation in the South-East and has,
therefore, caused a series of talks to commence.

This was disclosed to corespondents by the minister of Labour
and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, after a meeting with the president
at the presidential villa, Abuja at the weekend.

He was joined at the meeting, in which labour crisis was also
discussed, by the chief of staff to the president, Professor
Ibrahim Gambari.

Ngige said: “We also looked at the security situation,
especially in my zone, the Southeast and we made some proposal to
him, based on the yearnings of the people, and what the government
also wants.

“And we are following up with dialogue which at the end of the
day is what will happen. We have to talk, we have to discuss. And
part of the discussion starts also tomorrow (Saturday). The
Minister of Defence, Minister of Interior and the Service Chiefs
were in Enugu earlier last Saturday and we are going to do
follow-up meetings on that again starting from tomorrow.

“We briefed him and he accepted that dialogue is the way to go
in all these. Like I keep on saying there is a very thin line
between perception and reality. So, certain things should be done,
at least to assuage the feelings of the people in the area and make
them not to feel unwanted so that area was also discussed.”

Ngige revealed that they also briefed the president on labour
issues including the recent strike embarked upon by the Judicial
Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff
Association of Nigeria (PASAN) that paralysed legislative and
judicial activities in the country for two months before the
strikes were called off.

He said that issues concerning the face-off between the Kaduna
state government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), were also
tabled at the meeting.

The discussion followed the recent complaint to the president by
the leadership of the NLC on the Kaduna state government alleged
refusal to obey the terms of the agreement reached between the two
parties after the federal government had intervened in the labour
dispute.

Ngige said the meeting affirmed the need to avoid another round
of industrial disharmony between labour and the Kaduna state
government especially as the country is faced with serious security
challenges.

The minister said he also briefed the president on developments
in the labour ministry with regard to the industrial action
embarked upon by some unions.

He said: “I have to see him (President) to appraise him with
labour industrial milieu especially when you know that the
judiciary and parliamentary workers JUSUN and PASAN respectively
had been on strike that lasted for two months, we achieved a truce,
through up an agreement and we have to today summit his own copies
of Agreement to him.

“We are going to monitor the agreement. He is very interested in
it. And if you remember, he had to do an Executive Order 10 in
consonance with the constitution, so that we have independence,
financial autonomy for the judiciary and the legislature in the
states.

“So it is one of the few things and he was happy that at least
the strikes had been called off.

“We also looked at the Kaduna State government/Nigeria Labour
Congress imbroglio. We have arrested the strikes, we have
apprehended them and formed committees for the workers through the
NLC and the Kaduna state government so that they can do some social
dialoguing and reconciliation through that route.

“The NLC just five days ago, wrote to Mr President complaining
that the Kaduna state government wasn’t keeping to their own side
of the agreement, signed, especially in the area of victimisation
of workers, said that the government of Kaduna state has sacked
some staff from their workforce for participating in the
strike.

“And Mr President sought for advice on it and we’ve transmitted
the advice today. So, I and the Chief of Staff have jointly briefed
him on that and we are taking action to make sure we don’t have a
repeat of what happened in that state, he said that we have already
been bedevilled with security issues, we don’t want any more
compounding of those issues.”

*Briefs President On Industrial Disputes

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted that dialogue is the way
to go in resolving the situation in the South-East and has,
therefore, caused a series of talks to commence.

This was disclosed to corespondents by the minister of Labour
and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, after a meeting with the president
at the presidential villa, Abuja at the weekend.

He was joined at the meeting, in which labour crisis was also
discussed, by the chief of staff to the president, Professor
Ibrahim Gambari.

Ngige said: “We also looked at the security situation,
especially in my zone, the Southeast and we made some proposal to
him, based on the yearnings of the people, and what the government
also wants.

“And we are following up with dialogue which at the end of the
day is what will happen. We have to talk, we have to discuss. And
part of the discussion starts also tomorrow (Saturday). The
Minister of Defence, Minister of Interior and the Service Chiefs
were in Enugu earlier last Saturday and we are going to do
follow-up meetings on that again starting from tomorrow.

“We briefed him and he accepted that dialogue is the way to go
in all these. Like I keep on saying there is a very thin line
between perception and reality. So, certain things should be done,
at least to assuage the feelings of the people in the area and make
them not to feel unwanted so that area was also discussed.”

Ngige revealed that they also briefed the president on labour
issues including the recent strike embarked upon by the Judicial
Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Parliamentary Staff
Association of Nigeria (PASAN) that paralysed legislative and
judicial activities in the country for two months before the
strikes were called off.

He said that issues concerning the face-off between the Kaduna
state government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), were also
tabled at the meeting.

The discussion followed the recent complaint to the president by
the leadership of the NLC on the Kaduna state government alleged
refusal to obey the terms of the agreement reached between the two
parties after the federal government had intervened in the labour
dispute.

Ngige said the meeting affirmed the need to avoid another round
of industrial disharmony between labour and the Kaduna state
government especially as the country is faced with serious security
challenges.

The minister said he also briefed the president on developments
in the labour ministry with regard to the industrial action
embarked upon by some unions.

He said: “I have to see him (President) to appraise him with
labour industrial milieu especially when you know that the
judiciary and parliamentary workers JUSUN and PASAN respectively
had been on strike that lasted for two months, we achieved a truce,
through up an agreement and we have to today summit his own copies
of Agreement to him.

“We are going to monitor the agreement. He is very interested in
it. And if you remember, he had to do an Executive Order 10 in
consonance with the constitution, so that we have independence,
financial autonomy for the judiciary and the legislature in the
states.

“So it is one of the few things and he was happy that at least
the strikes had been called off.

“We also looked at the Kaduna State government/Nigeria Labour
Congress imbroglio. We have arrested the strikes, we have
apprehended them and formed committees for the workers through the
NLC and the Kaduna state government so that they can do some social
dialoguing and reconciliation through that route.

“The NLC just five days ago, wrote to Mr President complaining
that the Kaduna state government wasn’t keeping to their own side
of the agreement, signed, especially in the area of victimisation
of workers, said that the government of Kaduna state has sacked
some staff from their workforce for participating in the
strike.

“And Mr President sought for advice on it and we’ve transmitted
the advice today. So, I and the Chief of Staff have jointly briefed
him on that and we are taking action to make sure we don’t have a
repeat of what happened in that state, he said that we have already
been bedevilled with security issues, we don’t want any more
compounding of those issues.”