We protest against removal of petroleum subsidy on Wednesday – NLC

We protest against removal of petroleum subsidy on Wednesday – NLC

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, reiterated on Monday that the organized labor will go ahead with its planned protest against the removal of petroleum subsidy.

Speaking to State House reporters after a meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja, Ajaero confirmed that the decision to proceed with a peaceful protest from Wednesday remains unchanged.

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Addressing concerns about the possibility of the peaceful protest being taken over by troublemakers, Ajaero, while dismissing such fears, highlighted that such instances had never occurred in the history of workers’ demonstrations.

He emphasized that it is the responsibility of security agencies to ensure the safety of the workers by providing adequate security during the protest.

In addition,he president of the NLC expressed his concerns and uncertainties about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s capacity to successfully address the issues of inflation and soaring gasoline prices after the exchange rate unification.

Furthermore, he shared that the Steering Committee meeting was adjourned until 12 noon on Tuesday to allow the labor leaders to attentively listen to the president’s national broadcast on Monday.

Responding to Tinubu’s proposed intervention regarding the exchange rate, inflation, and the high costs of gasoline, Ajaero stated:

“By the time you have a single market and you are not having anything that has a comparative advantage, your energy is import driven, then how are you going to control it? How are you going to control somebody that exchanged dollar at about 900 (naira)? Are you going to tell him to sell below the price?

“How are you going to tell even NEPA today, with the cost of production not to increase tariff? Even corn in the villages that was sold at N18,000 by February, now it’s about 56,000. How are you going to control it?”

On his side, the Chief of Staff to the President said that issues were trashed at the closed door meeting and that they adjourned to listen to the President broadcast.

He also said the government was dealing with the oil cabals that have brought the economy to its knees.

“We have been locked behind for a couple of hours, we had a good meeting, issues were thrashed out on the situation in Nigeria today in terms of issues centred around on government intervention on the situation in the country.

“We agreed to adjourn till tomorrow as you know Mr. President is making a national broadcast today. Based on what we anticipate that Mr. President will be telling Nigerians we decided to adjourn meeting till 12pm tomorrow before labour can decide whether or not they want to continue with the protest on Wednesday.

“But we believe that after tonight broadcast, President will speak to all the issues, he will roll out his interventions and needles to say we believe any reasonable person will tell you that at that point there will be no need for any protest.”

On why government did not roll out palliatives before announcing the stoppage of petrol subsidy, he said the previous government did not budget for subsidy and that President Tinubu was rolling out palliatives to cushion its effect on the people.

Asked whether the oil cabals were more powerful than the security and government, he said, “Yes they are and that’s what government is dealing with. First of all remove the subsidy, that’s the first step.”

Also speaking, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, pleaded with the organised labour to give the administration little chance to fix the battered economy.

He said President Tinubu inherited a bad economy that he is working hard to fix.

“The meeting was an opportunity for us to appeal to the labour leaders by extension Nigerians that we are facing difficulties and challenges that are not our making. We inherited a very bad situation. Most of the problems people are talking about are not a creation of this government.

This government is barely two months old and since we have been facing these difficulties and challenges, we have a listening and engaging President, a president who will want to have a conversation and react.

“He is truly, genuinely, honestly doing it. Our appeal is please Nigerians give us the support that is needed and required, we are working, we are trying to change things. We inherited a very bad situation, we are trying to stop all those things we witnessed in the past, we are trying to stop the killings, stop the attacks on trains, stop attacks on prisons, stop IPOB what they are doing, stop bandits, stop Boko Haram,” he said.

On Friday of last week, the organized labor, citing the absence of senior government officials for negotiations, opted to walk out of the meeting.

During Monday’s meeting, notable attendees from the labor side included Ajaero, TUC’s representative Festus Osifo, Comrade Emma Ugbaja, the General Secretary of NLC, Nuhu Toro, the TUC Secretary, and Prof. Sam Amadi, among other members of the organized labor delegation.

On the government’s side, notable attendees included Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President, Kachollom Daju, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and Olu Verheijen, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, among others.