Announcement has been made on Wednesday by George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, that the 63rd celebration of Nigerian Independence Day will not include an official ceremony at Eagle Square in Abuja. Instead, the celebration will be done in a “low-key” manner, as opposed to previous years’ events. He stated that October 1 would be a day of reflection, during which people would think very critically about the country’s collective future and the path that lay before them.
After returning from a conversation behind closed doors with Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja, Akume disclosed this information to the State House Correspondents. The former Minister of Special Duties, who was hesitant to share details of the subjects that were discussed, stated that it is based on planning for the Independence Day celebration. The achievement of independence is a momentous occasion in the history of any nation, and Nigerians are not exempt from this.
Nigeria needs to reiterate and think of the way forward.
Though the country is completely ready for the celebrations, but for reasons that are self-evident, they have decided to keep the event low. They wish all Nigerians the best of luck, and he went on to reassure everyone that better times are on the way and quite soon. To clarify the situation, Akume said in the schedule of this year’s edition, they will not be putting on a fantastic jamboree at Eagle Square as well as other locations.
Also, it is a time for people to stop and think about things very seriously as a nation. He pictured it further and said the ship’s captain had planned this route. On the action the government will take in response to the 21-day ultimatum issued by the Labour Unions, which will come to a close on Thursday, he stated that Labour Union leaders are extremely patriotic citizens of the country, and they believed deeply that nobody would want to instigate a strike at this point.
Labour wants their demands met in the given time.
The government is strongly committed to ensuring a high quality of life for all Nigerians and fostering economic growth; thus, going on strike would be contrary to those goals. It isn’t something that can be accomplished in a single day. May 29 marked the beginning of this administration, which will last for another four years. They have only been in the office for a short time. Therefore, it would be unfair of them to pass judgement already.
It was on September 1 that the organised labour issued the 21-day ultimatum to the government in regard to the delay in delivering palliatives. They stated that they may be forced to embark on an indefinite strike action if their demands are not met within the allotted time. It was stated that everything was ready for a complete shutdown of the economy, which would begin on Friday when the ultimatum would come to an end.
No action has been taken yet to their demands.
Moreover, wage awards, the introduction of palliatives, exemptions from tax and allowances for workers in the public sector, and a re-evaluation of the minimum wage are among the requests put up by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress. Despite the fact that the FG committed to restructuring the framework for interaction with organised labour on palliatives, the eight-week schedule that was set for the conclusion of the process expired in August without any action being taken.
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