. Senate: Revert to N65
. Large crowds join rallies
. 24-hour curfew in Kaduna
The Federal Government and labour unions yesterday opened negotiations to break the deadlock over scrapping of petrol subsidies, as swelling numbers of demonstrators took to the streets in a second day of protests across the country. A meeting brokered by the Senate leadership was held at the home of Senate President David Mark last night, attended by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim and Labour Minister Emeka Wogu from the government side.
Labour leaders at the meeting were Trades Union Congress president Peter Esele, Nigeria Labour Congress president Abdulwaheed Omar, NLC vice president Issa Aremu and NLC acting secretary Owei Lakemfa.
Also at the meeting were Senate President David Mark, deputy Senate Leader Abdul Ningi and other principal officers.
The meeting ended at about 10.40pm, but the two sides failed to agree.
Omar told journalists after the meeting that they had made some progress because for labour to agree to talks, it means they had shifted ground. But he said no agreement was reached and so strike and protests would go on today.
Asked about the no-work-no-pay policy the government adopted against striking workers, Omar said workers were used to this and they would in turn implement the work-to-rule policy.
For his part, Wogu told reporters after the meeting that there was progress but he did not give any detail.
Daily Trust learnt that the Senate was proposing a middle way in which some subsidy would be restored to push down petrol price to about N80 per litre while labour would call off its strike.
The Senate opened talks with labour unions on Monday, urging them to call of their strike pending talks, but the unions said strike would go on until petrol price is reverted to N65 per litre.
On Monday, President Goodluck Jonathan reportedly spurned the compromise position offered to him by Mark to restore some of the subsidy.
"The Senate President had reached an understanding with the labour unions but needed to extract commitment from the President in order to move on with the mediation, but the president told him that government will not subsidise petrol even by one naira," a senator privy to the discussions on Monday told Daily Trust.
A spokesman for Mark confirmed that the Senate president met with President Jonathan on Monday night but had no details.
Jonathan's insistence on subsidy removal was in line with the statements made by his aides yesterday. Central bank governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Finance minister Ngozi Okojo-Iweala appeared on private television station AIT where they defended the policy. Petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke also appeared on Channels television insisting that the policy was good for the economy in the long run.
For his part, Information Minister Labaran Maku spoke to Al Jazeera television, where he dodged the question on whether government would make any comprise to reduce the petrol price.
Earlier yesterday, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) said though labour rejected the appeal to call off strike, negotiations would still continue to find a solution.
"The leadership of the Senate has engaged the leadership of the Labour with a view to finding a middle ground to resolve the issue of the fuel subsidy that does no one any good," he said.
"The current position is that labour is insisting on its position, that government reverts to N65 per litre regime which is the status quo ante, while government is also insisting that subsidy has been removed. But the good news is that we see some movement on both sides and we are hoping that we get both sides to meet at some point and quickly too so that our country can return to normalcy."
Ndoma-Egba said unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate would not pass a resolution on the matter because "where we are now has very little to do with whether we support subsidy or we did not support subsidy. The point where we are today is for Nigeria to get working and that is the issue of the moment.
"Nigeria has to work and we have to resolve that issue. It is when Nigeria is working again that we will know whether we need subsidy or not and like I said we are engaging every key sector in this negotiation and we engaging the executive arm of government."
Yesterday, Senators resolved at a session behind closed doors to urge the Federal Government to reverse petrol price to N65 per litre so as to give way for talks with labour unions.
Daily Trust gathered that during their executive session, senators expressed anger with the sudden removal of the fuel subsidy which has thrown the country into chaos, and asked for immediate reversal of the policy.
"We are not happy with what is happening; the country has been grounded because of this decision to remove fuel subsidy," one of the senators said.
"We have mandated the leadership of the Senate to meet with the President to request for immediate reversal of the decision within 24 hours."
Meanwhile, Nigerians took to the streets yesterday in growing numbers on the second day of protests and indefinite strike against petrol subsidy removal.
Tens of thousands demonstrated in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and other major cities, crippling businesses. Government offices, banks, markets and petrol stations remained closed.
In Kaduna, the police fired at protesters, hitting a student with a teargas canister in the head.
Later in the evening, the state government declared a round-the-clock curfew with effect from 10 o'clock last night.
The decision was taken at the state security council meeting so as to prevent the "hijack of the fuel subsidy by miscreants," Kaduna state police commissioner Balah M. Nasarawa said.
He said the 24-hour curfew was declared so as to protect lives and property of innocent citizens, and it would remain in force until further notice.
Kano and Zamfara states had earlier on Monday declared dusk-to-dawn curfews after violence clashes between police and protesters.
The nationwide protests and strike are expected to continue today.
DailyTrust