Avoid That Nationwide Strike II)

In the first part of this editorial published
Monday, May 16, 2016, we noted the different positions of the labour unions on the same matter. They are all right, but only a decision to work together will give Nigeria the best result and that strike was not the best action now.
In taking the arguments further, the condition of the average Nigerian cannot be discountenanced. Even as it is advisable to look for the best interest of the country, that of the people must come first. Without the people, there is no Nigeria and a country is only as healthy, safe and virile as its people.
Within months, not only has inflation affected all aspects of the economy, a lot of workers have not been paid salaries. Even worse, so many have lost their jobs and do not know where to anchor their hopes, because the government is making excuses and blaming the past, instead of finding solutions for the future.
We are surprised, however, that the difficult situation appears to be new always to the government. Whereas what is happening may have been caused by the failings in successive governments, steps taken by other countries to tackle situations like this are known. The problem has always been who will bell the cat.
Time has come for Nigeria to find the real problems and their causes. Time has come to apply the bitter pills that can heal the pain once and for all. There are systemic problems that are ignored because they serve petty interests. There are very remote contributors that question the civilization of this age and its capacity to adjust.
Today, Nigerians are protesting high cost of fuel without a mention of losses incurred when some unpatriotic Nigerians were sponsored to protest against the only legitimate solution to the fuel crisis years ago deregulation of the downstream sector. By now, not only would there be steady supply of fuel, but also jobs and other by-products that would have raised the economy.
These same people who made the past impossible are the same ones blaming the government of the past for all their woes. Frankly, they lack the moral ground to remove the fuel subsidy. Besides, they have said the fuel supply situation would improve and that they were on top of the game. On all the promises they failed. Indeed, Nigerians have every reason to be disappointed.
But as a nation, we must put the past behind and find solutions to pressing problems. People and indeed the organised labour must find a place in their hearts to forgive and work with the Federal Government in the interest of the ordinary Nigerian. There should be deep and sincere negotiation now.
The Federal Government may have lacked the courage to speak on this matter because of what its members did against this country on this matter in 2012, but it should not have placed the cart before the horse. They should have negotiated a new wage regime and prepared the people for the change before any action.
Besides, what is worth doing is worth doing well; removing subsidy and fixing price is also strange to functional capitalism. Government must be bold to fully deregulate and put an end to this frequent hiccups in the sector. Let market forces decide so that investors can come, build and operate refineries, provide employment and sustain the supply of fuel, among others.
We think that the Federal Government should quickly agree with the organised labour and suspend the planned strike. Government should involve all the unions in the negotiation of a new National Minimum Wage and the other issues that the unions have raised that can benefit the economy.
On the public sector, Nigeria has created more agencies than it can support. This is no longer in debate. Overheads alone for the MDAs take so much. A system that creates too many executives that must be treated as Lords cannot be sustainable. Indeed, the offices can be merged without sacking any civil servant.
The country also has too many States, many not economically viable. Again, there are two major suggestions; reduce the States to the six geo-political zones, or operate a fiscal federation that would make every State work hard and pay to the Federal Government, instead of collecting from the Federal Government. When this happens, each State will decide how many staff to keep and how much to pay its workers.
The point is that the leadership must be bold to take the right decision. They should be prepared to break systems, instead of human beings for whose sakes the systems are built. Although strike can catalyse the process, but the timing is not right. It’s time to talk, build and grow the economy.