IN anticipation of the imminent strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Lagosians, on Tuesday embarked on panic buying as long queues were observed at various filling stations across the state.

When the Nigerian Tribune visited some of the filling stations on Tuesday, it was gathered that they stopped dispensing fuel at around noon while they claimed there was a directive that they should stop selling.

Most filling stations situated along Herbert Macaulay Way were not selling; the few ones selling were offering skeleton service with long queues. 
An attendant at the Mobil filling station located at Murtala Muhammed Way, Sabo, Yaba, who pleaded anonymity said there was a directive that they should stop selling fuel from the leadership of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG).

In a telephone interview with the Nigerian Tribune, the Lagos zonal chairman of NUPENG, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo, confirmed that there was a directive to stop the lifting of petroleum products from various depots across the South-West zone but not to stop selling to customers.

He said nobody would lift products during the strike and until the strike was called off,  fuel would not be supplied to the filling stations.

According to him, “we had an emergency meeting today directing all our members not to load petroleum products until the end of the strike. Maybe they are trying to reserve some that they will sell when the strike is over, but we did not direct them to stop selling.”

Some customers who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune berated the attitude of marketers who hoard  fuel at the slightest opportunity to create artificial scarcity as witnessed recently over kerosene.

A customer who  identified himself as Kayode Lawal, who spoke to our reporter at Oando filling station in Marina, said he was confused that they stopped selling when the strike was yet to begin.

Meanwhile, aviation unions have vowed to paralyse flight operations as the strike begins today.

Speaking on behalf of other unions in the sector, Comrade Abdulkarim Motajo, secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), said the unions were in full support of the NLC and other labour organisations as regards the warning strike.

Other aviation unions are Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).

According to him, at the end of a crucial meeting of all the aviation unions  on Tuesday, it was resolved that the warning strike will be total in the industry.

Motajo declared that the strike would definitely affect flights as those responsible for the coordination of flight operations within the country’s airspace, that is the Air Traffic Controllers, would participate in the strike.

He, however, said the union would still go into another round of talks later yesterday depending on whatever information  came from the labour national body in Abuja.

The workers said their decision to join in the strike was still in place except if there was any contrary position from the unions.

However, flights operations went on as usual at the airport on Tuesday as airlines continued to sell tickets to passengers.

Some passengers who came to buy tickets for Wednesday’s flight told some journalists at the terminal two of the local airport that they came to purchase the tickets on the grounds that the strike might after all not be started.

The decision of the labour unions to embark on a three-day warning strike beginning from today was taken after the meeting held between government and the unions at the Three-Arm Zone office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to resolve and prevent the looming industrial crisis ended in a deadlock.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has also called on its members to shut all oil and gas installations and plants throughout the country as the strike begins today.

The association said except the government salvaged the situation, its members have been directed to “shut down all oil and gas exploitations, exploration and production for the period of the strike as from 12 midnight today (Tuesday).”

PENGASSAN, in the directive issued to its members across the country, demanded total implementation of the new Minimum Wage law by both the public and private sector employers.
It stated that there is nothing preventing government at all levels from totally implementing the law.

The union said the shutting down of all oil and gas installations in the country was necessary to ensure that both the federal and state governments, as well as private sector employers, implemented the law totally.

In a letter dated July 19, signed by the secretary-general of PENGASSAN, Bayo Olowoshile and sent to all its branches, the union said “based on the earlier circular letter from the national secretariat on the directives from our umbrella body, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), all branches are to liaise with their various managements and start the process of shutting down plants and production.”

Meanwhile, following the indefinite strike embarked upon by workers in Oyo Stare, activities at the state secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, were paralysed on Tuesday.

Public schools and other government premises were not left out, as they were deserted by workers, leaving many pupils and students stranded.
Most of the offices visited by the Nigerian Tribune at the state secretariat were deserted and under lock and key.

A combined team of armed policemen and officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were drafted to the  secretariat area, to ensure security of life and property, while about five police patrol vans were also stationed at the  main entrance of the secretariat with policemen  monitoring the movements of passers-by.

The gate of the state House of Assembly, located within the secretariat, was firmly locked against workers and visitors.

Reacting to the strike, the state government faulted the leadership of NLC in the state to embark on a strike, a day before the warning strike ordered by the national body of the union, stating that  it suspected the influence of an external forces.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications, Dr Festus Adedayo, in a statement, said the leadership of the labour unions in the state should give credit to the state government for being the only state that had paid the N18,000  minimum wage across board for May.

Speaking on the strike, the state NLC chairman, Bashir Olanrewaju, said it was successful, while he optimism that today’s would be more successful.

Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Honourable Monsurat Sunmonu, while addressing journalists after a closed door meeting with government representatives and the labour leaders, said the peace move was good and fruitful.

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