A coalition, the Katsina Groups for National Unity and Integration, has lauded the efforts of President Bola Tinubu in tackling the economic challenges facing Nigeria.

This coalition gave the commendation in a communique issued in Katsina jointly signed by the group’s coordinator, Hamza Umar-Saulawa, and his secretary, Bishir Dauda Sabuwar Unguwa Katsina, and director of contact and mobilisation, Rilwanu Mukhtar.

The coalition said, “As patriotic Nigerian citizens, we are feeling the heat of the time, including the high cost of living and spate of insecurity.

“We commend the federal government for making efforts to address the challenges through short-, medium- and long-term measures, including disbursement of the wage award of the sum of N35,000 to each federal government worker.”

The coalition also acknowledged the war against corruption under Tinubu, with particular reference to the suspension of a minister, the investigation of Godwin Emiefele, the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and other officials of the present and past administrations.

The coalition urged organised labour to suspend its planned nationwide protests over the country’s economic hardship, describing the exercise as needless.

“Our viewpoint is that the NLC has not exhausted all the available options for dialogue before calling on street protests. So far, the federal government has not shown any disdain for NLC,” said the coalition.

It added, “The fact that some steps were taken towards meeting their demands, shows a high measure of semblance of commitment on the part of the federal government. Hence, we feel that the new administration deserves to enjoy the benefit of the doubt.”

“No government can meet the demands of the NLC in 14 days,” stressed the coalition, urging the labour unions to shelve their planned nationwide protests to continue to dialogue with the government until their demands are met.

“Using our recent experience during the #ENDSARS protest and other street protests that happened, such demonstrations and strikes do us more harm than good.”

It noted that organised labour should “avoid doing anything that may undermine the existing fragile peace” at this critical point.

“While advocating dialogue, we condemn in strongest terms those groups and individuals who are making political capital out of the suffering of Nigerians.

“We are calling on the governments at sub-national levels to augment the efforts of the federal government by rolling out different measures to cushion the hardship among the masses,” the coalition stated.

NLC and TUC issued a 14-day nationwide strike notice to the federal government over the alleged failure of the government to implement the agreements reached on October 2, 2023, following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

The October 2 agreement was “focused on addressing the massive suffering and the general harsh socioeconomic consequences of the ill-conceived and ill-executed IMF-World Bank-induced hike in the price of PMS” and the devaluation of the naira.

These dual policies have had, as we predicted, dire economic consequences for the masses and workers of Nigeria, the agreement stated, noting that “constrained by this development and recognising the urgency of the situation and the imperative of ensuring the protection and defence of the rights and dignity of Nigerian workers and citizens, the NLC and TUC hereby issue a stern ultimatum to the federal government to honour their part of the understanding within 14 days from tomorrow, February 9.”

The federal government had, among other things, promised the implementation of a N35,000 wage award for civil servants.

(NAN)