Meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over fuel subsidy removal ended in deadlock on Wednesday.
Gatekeepers News reports that the meeting which began around 4 pm on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja ended without a consensus.
Representatives of the Federal Government included Dele Alake, the spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu; and the Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari.
Other government officials present were the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
The Organised Labour was represented by the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero; and the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Festus Osifo.
The NLC after several hours of meeting demanded that the Federal Government return to the status quo by reversing the price of fuel before resuming negotiations with the NLC.
The NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, said there should be a formal engagement with the Labour Union to protect the Nigerian workforce and proffer additional solutions before the removal.
Ajaero insisted that the Federal Government did not enter into any conversation even on palliative measures for Nigerians, hence the rejection of the latest announcement.
The NLC said it had decided to reconvene with its members to determine the next line of action.
Contrarily, Alake described the meeting as robust, adding that talks would continue, expressing hope that the parties would reach a reasonable conclusion at its next adjourned meeting.
During his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Monday, President Bola Tinubu said the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended, adding that with the 2023 budget making no provision for fuel subsidy, further payment was no longer justifiable.
Tinubu said, “The fuel subsidy is gone.” He noted that the government would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the House Of Representatives have since backed Tinubu’s decision.
On the other hand, the TUC and NLC have called for the federal government to return to status quo due to the hardship the policy will mount on Nigerians.
