The new administration of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to engage in a crucial discussion with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) today at 2 pm regarding the proposed fuel subsidy elimination.
The Impact News reports that the NLC National President, Joe Ajaero, made this revelation on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Wednesday.
Ajaero emphasised that the labour union’s stance has consistently maintained that, even if President Bola Tinubu has good intentions, viable alternatives must be provided.
He expressed the belief that the President should have sought input and considered the ramifications of removing fuel subsidy for everyday Nigerians.
Among the alternatives proposed by the NLC president were the repair of the nation’s four refineries and providing transportation alternatives for Nigerian workers.
Recall that in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Monday, President Tinubu declared an end to the era of fuel subsidy payments.
He highlighted that the 2023 budget did not allocate funds for fuel subsidy and argued that subsidy payments were no longer justifiable. Instead, Tinubu pledged to redirect funds toward infrastructure development and other areas aimed at bolstering the economy.
Following the President’s announcement, fuel queues have reappeared across the country as Nigerians scramble to obtain the increasingly expensive product.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has supported Tinubu’s stance on fuel subsidy removal. However, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has argued that the President cannot unilaterally make decisions on subsidy removal. They pointed out that the previous administration of Muhammadu Buhari deliberately deferred addressing this “sensitive issue” to the new government.
Meanwhile, Malam Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer, GCEO, The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd., has assured Nigerians that fuel queues in filling stations, following the affirmation of the removal of subsidy, will soon vanish.
“I know all us must have seen the fuel queues in filling stations across the country.
“It is very understandable that whenever announcements to changes to prices of petroleum happen, both buyers and marketers will like assurance of what exactly this means and typically, consumers will rush to the filling stations to fill their tanks and that is why you are seeing these queues.
“And also for marketers, they will like to see exactly what this means in terms of how are we going to sell the products if subsidy on PMS is removed?
“And the combination of the two is what you are seeing -the obvious dislocation on distribution and we believe that this will go away very quickly.
“And as you may be aware, PIB which was accented in 2021 and became an Act, made it clear that the price of petroleum must be priced at the market,” Kyari stated according to a NAN report.
