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FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6435
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
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RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE 0931
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RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
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RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001191 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DRL, AF/W 
PLEASE PASS USTR FOR AGAMA 
DOL FOR SUDHA HALEY 
DOC FOR 3317/ITA/OA/KBURRESS 
TREASURY FOR DAN PETERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB PREL PHUM ENRG ASEC NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIAN ORGANIZED LABOR: THIRD STRIKE, BUT NOT OUT 
 
REF: A. ABUJA 1117 
     ¶B. ABUJA 821 
     ¶C. ABUJA 809 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other 
state labor leaders conducted a large rally in Maiduguri, the 
capital of Borno State, on June 23, protesting the GON's 
deregulation of the petroleum sector, and lack of action on 
minimum wage and electoral reform issues.  The Borno 
demonstration is the third in a series of planned protests 
throughout the country focusing on these themes (ref B and C 
describe the last two protests in Lagos and Kano).  The NLC's 
planned protest rallies in Benue and Oyo states, as well the 
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will likely move forward as 
announced.  Meanwhile, the GON remains unresponsive to NLC 
demands.  This latest protest rally once again highlights 
Nigeria's fractured labor sector and its inability to improve 
the lives of Nigerian workers.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) NLC Borno State Chairman Garba Ngamdu told LabOff that 
the demonstration was a "big success, with close to 20,000 
people in attendance."  He added that at first, the visible 
presence of several police was intimidating, but as their 
march made its way to the Government House, the police did 
not interfere.  Borno State Government Permanent Secretary 
Hayatuddeen Baba Omar told LabOff that he agreed with 
Ngamdu's description of the demonstration, and also described 
the protest as "very peaceful."  The protest rally was 
televised the same day, supporting claims that the it drew 
large numbers, particularly as others joined in after the 
march to the Borno State Government House.  (Note: A large 
police presence could also be seen on television both during 
the NLC march and afterward surrounding the growing crowd. 
End Note.) 
 
¶3. (U) According to Ngamdu and NLC General Secretary John 
Odah, the rally's objective was consistent with the previous 
demonstrations in Lagos and Kano -- to draw attention to the 
GON's unresponsiveness to NLC demands for higher wages, the 
cessation of petroleum sector deregulation plans, and the 
full implementation of their electoral reform 
recommendations.  The GON issued no public response to Kano 
and Maiduguri protest rallies, but Minister of Labor and 
Productivity Adetokunbo Kayode has stated to the press 
several times and told the Ambassador in April that the GON 
cannot afford to pay higher wages. 
 
¶4. (U) Nigeria's other largest coalition of unions, the Trade 
Union Congress (TUC), was absent in Kano and Maiduguri. 
(Note: As a confederation of white-collar, management level 
workers, TUC's membership is largely concentrated in the 
southern commercial capital Lagos and oil-producting Delta 
states.  End note.)  However, TUC's silence in the media and 
limited public support for NLC's protest rallies has also 
been evident.  TUC President Peter Esele told LabOff on June 
24 that while the TUC agrees with NLC on the issues of wages 
and electoral reform, the NLC's position on deregulation 
"does not enjoy the full backing of workers in the oil 
industry to which many TUC members belong."  He explained 
that "any discussion on deregulation must come with pragmatic 
solutions, but the problem with NLC's strategy is that it has 
an abundance of complaints, but no solutions."  Esele did 
note, however, that the NLC and TUC are working hard to 
"fine-tune their cooperation" for a more unified voice. 
 
¶5. (U) Comment:  The Maiduguri protest rally was likely the 
most successful of the three NLC protest rallies in this 
series held thus far--if success is defined by attendance 
alone.  So far, the GON has not responded to the NLC's 
demands other than set up "committees" or ad hoc dialogues. 
In addition, Nigeria's two largest union confederations have 
divergent strategic interests and the private sector seems 
eager to dissociate itself from both government and organized 
labor altogether.  Combined, such discordance within 
 
ABUJA 00001191  002 OF 002 
 
 
Nigeria's labor sector, (which we specifically noted from the 
dramatic incongruence in ideologies among government, 
organized labor, and the private sector at Nigeria's Labor 
Summit on April 23; reftel C) are further examples of how the 
lack of a functioning tripartite social dialogue interferes 
with the ability of Nigerians to address their differences. 
Meanwhile, the quality of life of the Nigerian worker is 
worsening as the minimum wage at the current rate of exchange 
is worth little more than a dollar a day while the cost of 
fuel and food continues to rise, the combination of which 
creates ripe conditions for future protest rallies to gather 
momentum nation-wide.  End Comment. 
 
¶6. (U) This cable was coordinated with Consulate Lagos. 
SANDERS