Fuel Subsidy Removal: Governors To Engage Labour Leaders For Compromise

With the fuel subsidy removal by the Nigera’s Federal Government imminent, Governors have resolved to meet with leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to seek their understanding and acceptance of the government’s decision.

This was part of the resolutions of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum first meeting of the year 2022 held on Wednesday January 19.

According to a statement signed by the forum’s chairman amd governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, the aim of the engagement with Labour Leaders would be to find a common ground of resolution that will be fed into national discuss on how to effectively manage post-subsidy removal economic and social condition in a way that will neither affect Nigeria’s economy nor the citizens’ welfare.

The forum commended the Senate for amending the electoral act by removing the contentious clause on mandatory direct primaries for political parties and passing the Bill, while also urging the House of Representatives to follow suit so as to enable various institutions particularly the Independent Natioanl Electoral Commission (INEC) to move on with its responsibilities of conducting various elections scheduled to hold in 2022 and 2023.

On the resurgence of COVID-19 infection, particularly the Omicron variant, the governors expressed happiness that it is “progressively declining”, and stressed the need for states to “ramp up the COVID-19 vaccination excercise.”
Other issues discussed during the meeting by the governors include, national development plan 2021 -2025 recently launched by the Federal Government.

The statement reads, “We, the members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at our first meeting of the year 2022, deliberated on several matters of national importance and concluded as follows:

“On the electoral act, Governors commended the Senate of the Federal Republic for accelerating the removal of the contentious clauses in the draft electoral bill and hope that the second chamber, the House of Representatives would also follow suit so that the revised electoral bill can return to Mr. President for accent so that this can then enable the various institutions particularly INEC to proceed her pace with its responsibilities towards the various elections in 2022 and 2023.

“The Forum also discussed the issue around petroleum subsidy and concluded to engage the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress on how best to address this issue without causing any disaffection or with the view to savaging the Nigerian economy for the Nigerian people at the end of the day.

“So, we shall be engaging the Nigerian Labour Congress as sub national leaders with the view to ensuring that the outcome of our engagement will also be fed into the national discuss.
“We also discussed the health update particularly in relation to COVID-19 infections and expressed happiness that the current Omicron variant has been declining progressively. However, we also noted that there is the need for States led by us to ramp up the COVID-19 vaccination excercise.
“On Nutrition which remains a priority of the Government, Governors concluded that there is need to increase our support in terms of budgetary provisions for nutrition.

“We received a presentation from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, (PABEC), on the ease of doing business and discussed the next phase of doing business survey with the special adviser to Mr. President on ease of doing business, Dr. Oduwole, and the country director of the World Bank, Dr. Shubham Chaudhuri.

“The presentation elaborated on the need to step up the reforms towards improving the investment and business climate at the sub national level.
“Governors also reviewed the recently launched national development plan 2021-2025 with the 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.”