President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to meet with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the proposed fuel subsidy elimination.
The president will be represented by federal government officials in the meeting which will hold around 2:00 pm today, Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
The NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, made the disclosure during an interview with channels television on Wednesday morning.
He said the position of Labour had been clear that even if President Bola Tinubu has a good intention, alternatives must be provided.
He said the President should have asked questions and find out the implications of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians on the streets.
The NLC boss listed the alternatives to include the repair of the nation’s four refineries, provision of transportation of alternatives for the Nigerian workers, amongst others.
“The pronouncement by Mr President is as good as law and if in the process we make a law that is not practicable, the same people that made the law can look at it,” Ajaero said while calling for a review of the President’s pronouncement.
“Does it bring pleasure to us to say subsidy is gone and people start suffering? Is it not part of leadership for us to look at how the suffering of the people can be reduced?” he asked.
Recall that in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Monday, President Tinubu declared an end to the era of fuel subsidy payments.
He highlighted that the 2023 budget did not allocate funds for fuel subsidy and argued that subsidy payments were no longer justifiable. Instead, Tinubu pledged to redirect funds toward infrastructure development and other areas aimed at bolstering the economy.
Following the President’s announcement, fuel queues have reappeared across the country as Nigerians scramble to obtain the increasingly expensive product.
The organized labour comprising of Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress described the move by Tinubu as a “joke taken too far”.
It is expected that Today’s meeting will provide a lasting solution to the situation on ground.
Already, the Nigerian National Population Company Limited noted that the country was spending over N400bn monthly on subsidy. Industry experts have said the model was not sustainable in the long run.
The subsidy on fuel when removed, will be channeled into the development of other sectors, President Tinubu said on Monday.
Source: Intelregion
