Officials from the Federal Government, as well as leaders from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), are scheduled to meet today to discuss methods to offset the impact of the elimination of the petrol subsidy.
The purpose of this gathering is to kick off the eight-week timeline outlined last week for ending discussions on the subject.
A Presidential Steering Committee was constituted at the last conference to oversee technical sub-committees concentrating on various elements of the topic.
Fuel Subsidy: Why We Suspended Nationwide Strike – NLC President
The government’s delegation was led by President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, who agreed that all labor demands should be met within an eight-week period.
The five subcommittees will continue to negotiate: Cash Transfers, Social Investment Programme (SIP), Cost of Governance, Energy, Mass Transit, and Housing. The members of these subcommittees will be confirmed at today’s meeting, and their working templates will be defined.
The Cash Transfer Committee, for example, is intended to develop a strategy for expanding government income to disadvantaged Nigerians.
According to one anonymous source who talked with The Guardian, the NLC intends to push a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) revitalization process in Nigeria as part of a transition from oil to gas.
The purpose is to provide alternative energy options to Nigerians in order to reduce the cost of the termination of fuel subsidies.
Order restraining NLC, TUC From Embarking On Strike, Still In Effect – Court
When asked if the eight weeks are feasible for the committees to complete their task, he said: “It may not be feasible, but what I see happening, going forward, is that the committees on their own will request an extension to deliver benefits to Nigerians, so that at the end of the day, we can break the vicious cycle of gang up, exploitation and under-development against Nigerians by the ruling elites.”
He stated that Nigerians should be on the lookout, as the NLC intends to drive a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) resurrection process in Nigeria, a shift away from oil and toward gas.
According to the source, it is a project that the NLC hopes to prioritize so that the elites who want to utilize Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to oppress Nigerians do not have the opportunity.
The source said, “We will make alternative provisions for Nigerians, which is one of the key things we asked for. How can you hand over a monopoly to someone who has never helped with his prior monopoly in cement? Rather, we have to pay more for a bag of cement than our neighbours in West Africa.
LATEST: NLC Suspends Nationwide Protest Over Petrol Subsidy
“We plan to move away from the oppression, so that we can rely on gas. If the government doesn’t want to drive the process, we will.
“We are planning a CNG fair in Nigeria, where all stakeholders will come, partner with major car entities, research institutes, marketers and producers of conversion kits, technicians and artisans for capacity training across Nigeria, to ensure we have places where they can take their equipment and convert to gas immediately. We are also partnering with energy providers to have a distribution network, where gases will be made available to Nigerians.”
TUC Secretary-General Nuhu Toro also expressed optimism that the presidential steering group established to look into TUC demands would come up with suggestions that would lead to fruition.
Follow us on Facebook
Post Disclaimer
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author and forum participants on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Anaedo Online or official policies of the Anaedo Online.