NLC, TUC Walk Out Of Subsidy Palliatives Meeting, Insist FG Deceiving Nigerians

The Organised Labour on Friday, July 28, 2023 declared that the Federal Government was only deceiving Nigerians with the Presidential Steering Committee established to discuss palliatives measures among other things to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

Accordingly, the delegation of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), on Friday, July 28, 2023 stormed out of a scheduled meeting of the Steering Committee.

The NLC team to the meeting, led by its President, comrade Joe Ajero, and that of the TUC, led by its General Secretary, comrade Nuhu Toro, pointedly accused the Federal Government of ignoring their concerns on the excruciating economic difficulties Nigerians are facing.

One of the Labour leaders said the government was using cover to deceive Nigerians, stressing that whereas, there were supposed to be three sub-committees namely; Mass Transit, CNG, and the Cash Transfer sub-committees, to brief members of the Steering Committee, it was clear that the government was not prepared for the meeting.

The Labour leader who spoke off-camera said; “In their introductory remarks, they made excuses, and they wanted the meeting to continue; the meeting did not form a quorum. “If there is no quorum, we are a people that operate on the basis of process. So, if there is no quorum in a meeting, what do you do? You will adjourn for lack of quorum.

“There was nobody to meet with. The chief of staff was not there; they are taking us like small children,” he said.

The Labour leaders said that they were surprised that their names were not on the visitors’ list for security clearance in spite of the fact that the meeting was rescheduled on Wednesday, thus, were made to wait for a very long time at the State House main entrance gate.

They said when they eventually made it to the venue, the conference room of the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, he was not there for the meeting.

According to the Labour leaders; “Gbajabiamila was said to have been waiting for we labour union leaders to come while the confusion at the entrance gate persisted. We only met the Special Adviser on the Energy Sector, Olu Verheijen, waiting in the room”.

It was gathered that it was at that point that the Labour leaders had to walk out seeing the lack of seriousness and expected commitment of the Federal Government to the issue.

The Presidential Steering Committee was established in June to discuss palliative measures, among other things, to ease the effects of the fuel subsidy removal that had worsened the socio-economic well-being of Nigerians.

After the meeting between the government and organised labour on Wednesday, the NLC and TUC had insisted on holding their scheduled nationwide protest on August 2, 2023.