Today, federal government representatives are expected to meet with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to discuss the planned removal of the petrol subsidy.
NLC national president Joe Ajaero announced this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday.
He stated that the meeting will take place by 2 p.m. today.
Government seems to have shown interest in discussion. As at last night, they reached out and we have fixed 2pm today to commence discussions, Ajaero said.
There, all these other issues will be discussed because you cannot just say ‘no subsidy and then, you are not producing and you leave us to the fabrics of the market.
Ajaero said the position of the NLC has always been clear that if President Bola Tinubu has good intentions, alternatives must be provided.
Tinubu, he said, should have asked questions and researched the effects of the reduction in petrol subsidies on Nigerians.
The NLC boss proposed several solutions, including the rehabilitation of the country’s four refineries and the provision of alternative transportation for Nigerian workers.
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.
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?
While access to petrol became more difficult as a result of the presidential declaration on subsidy, Tinubu’s media team stated that the president’s statement was not a new development, but rather a restatement of the federal government’s intention to end subsidy by June.