The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has defended its use of ultimatums as a last resort. The NLC aims for dialogue and seeks “the right things to be done” rather than causing unnecessary disruptions. Uchenna Ekwe, the NLC’s Head of International Relations, responded to public criticism on Channels TV’s “The Morning Brief.” Ekwe explained that ultimatums follow repeated private reminders to the government about outstanding agreements.

Ekwe emphasized that the NLC is not interested in a strike and prefers to avoid such situations. Before issuing a public ultimatum, there are often many communications that are not made public to the government system calling their attention to an agreement, as in this case.

The recent ultimatum, issued jointly with the Trade Union Congress (TUC), demands that the 16-point agreement reached in October 2023 be fulfilled. According to Ekwe, this agreement has seen limited progress, with several points, including wage awards, partially or entirely ignored by various states.

The NLC officer dismissed concerns about playing to the gallery, stating that such actions offer no benefit to workers or citizens. He specifically criticised the palliative measures taken by most states, calling them “ridiculous.”

The organised labour has given the Federal Government 14 days, starting from February 9 to February 14, 2024, to fulfil its part of the understanding with the labour unions.