In Abuja, IG Egbetokun talks with labour leaders.

On Monday night, behind closed doors, Olukayode Egbetokun, the acting Inspector-General of Police, met with the national leadership of the Trade Union Congress and the Nigerian Labour Congress.Our correspondent learned that the meeting was related to the two-day warning strike that the workers’ unions had earlier announced, even though the police high command had not yet disclosed all the specifics at the time this report was filed.

Upon being called, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer, stated, “Yes, the meeting took place; we will be releasing a statement to that effect shortly.”According to the reporter, the National Leadership of the Labour Council (NLC) has declined to attend a last-minute reconciliation meeting called by Minister of Labour and Employment Simon Lalong in an attempt to stop the two-day warning strike that the Labour Centre has already announced.

But only the TUC’s leadership, led by its president, Festus Osifo, appeared for the meeting, which was supposed to begin at 3 p.m. on Monday but really began at precisely 5:32 p.m.Last Friday, the NLC announced that it was going on a two-day strike in response to what it described as the Tinubu-led Federal Government’s failure to engage stakeholders in organised labour in dialogue about efforts to mitigate the effects of the removal of subsidies on Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, on the “poor masses.” The statement was jointly signed by the NLC’s national president, Joe Ajaero, and secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja.

Prior to this, in August, organised labour organised a one-day protest that shut down operations in the nation’s largest cities.

The centre listed a number of other reasons why it would organise its members for the nationwide shutdown, including the police allegedly besieging the National Union of Road Transport Workers’ national headquarters, the government of Abia State interfering with union affairs, the alleged exploitation of workers’ rights in Imo State, and the proposed demolition by Nyesom Wike, the new minister of the Federal Capital Territory.