Nigerian unions have urged the government to lead negotiations on the removal of fuel subsidies to cushion its effects on workers and other Nigerians.
The unions, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said that the government had not done enough to mitigate the impact of the subsidy removal, which has led to a sharp increase in the price of fuel.
NLC President Joe Ajaero said that the government had failed to set up a wage review committee, as promised, and had also not provided any relief to workers who are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.
“The committee seems not to be capable,” Ajaero said. “As labour, we have done negotiations with previous administrations. At no time had the Chief of Staff to the President, who is very busy, called to negotiate or lead negotiations and that has delayed the issues.”
Ajaero also criticised the government for increasing the price of fuel to N620 per litre, despite a court ruling that it should remain at N537 per litre.
“While labour leaders were still deliberating on N537 per litre of fuel and the court had ruled for the status quo to remain, surprisingly, the government decided to increase the fuel to N620 per litre,” he said.
The NLC president urged the government to take steps to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians, including providing relief to poor families and increasing the minimum wage.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who met with the unions, said that the government was aware of the hardships caused by the subsidy removal and was working to address them.
“But be rest assured that effect of fuel subsidy removal being felt by workers and in fact Nigerians will be ameliorated very soon by the federal government,” he said.
Akpabio also said that the government was committed to meeting with the unions to discuss their concerns.
