Petrol subsidy removal: NGF to meet with labour unions over planned strike

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says it will meet with organised labour unions on how best to address the removal of petrol subsidy.

Speculations that the price of petrol will be increased have stirred up reactions among Nigerians, with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) threatening to embark on a strike action if the federal government goes ahead with the proposed plan.

This was after Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, announced in November that the federal government would remove fuel subsidies in 2022 and replace them with a N5000-a-month transportation grant to poor Nigerians.

Speaking with journalists at the end of the forum’s meeting on Thursday, Kayode Fayemi, NGF chairman, said the 36 states governors met and discussed issues of national importance including the removal of petrol subsidy and the electoral act amendment bill.

“We discussed the issue around petroleum subsidy and concluded to engage the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress,” he said.

“We will engage them on how best to address this issue without causing any disaffection but with a view to salvaging the Nigerian economy for the Nigerian people at the end of the day.

“So, we shall be engaging the NLC as sub-national leaders and with a view to ensuring that the outcome of our engagement will also be fed into the national discourse.”

On the recommendation of the National Economic Council (NEC) that petrol should be sold for N302 per litre, Fayemi said the matter was not a decision of the governors but the exclusive responsibility of the federal government.

He added that though it was the responsibility of NEC, the governors were contributing to the debate.

Fayemi also commended the senate for accelerating the removal of the contentious clauses in the electoral act amendment bill.

He expressed hope that the house of representatives would follow suit so that the revised bill could be returned to the president for assent on time.

This, according to him, will enable various institutions, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to proceed with its responsibilities towards elections in 2022 and 2023.

Fayemi also said the governors received a presentation from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on ease of doing business.

“The presentation elaborated on the need to step up the reforms towards improving the investments and business climate at the sub-national level,” he said.

“Governors also reviewed the recently launched National Development Plan 2021 to 2025.

“This is with a view to ensuring that the National Development Plan is aligned to individual state development plans that have been produced or in the process of being produced to ensure synergy between the development efforts by the federal as well as state governments.”