NLC Meeting With President Tinubu’s Delegation Ends In Deadlock

The meeting between the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over fuel subsidy removal has ended without a consensus.

The meeting began around 4pm on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Representatives of the Federal Government included Dele Alake, the spokesperson for Tinubu; and the Group Chief Executive Officer 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.

After several hours of meeting with the Federal Government, the NLC demanded that the Federal Government return to the status quo by reversing the price of fuel before resuming negotiations with the NLC.

The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, who criticised the removal of subsidy stated that the status quo returns before any formal engagement with the NLC to protect the Nigerian workforce and proffer additional solutions.

The NLC 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 union said it had decided to reconvene with its members to determine the next line of action.
Meanwhile, Alake described the meeting as robust, adding that talks would continue.

He expressed hope that the parties would reach a reasonable conclusion at its next adjourned meeting, Daily Trust reports.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the NLC called on Tinubu-led federal government to immediately instruct the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to withdraw its “vexatious Pricing template” to allow free flow of discussions with the government on subsidy removal.

It had been reported that President Tinubu announced during his inaugural speech on Monday at the Eagle Square, Abuja that there would be no more fuel subsidy. And hours after the speech, long queues returned to filling stations across the country amid fuel scarcity occasioned by panic buying and hoarding of premium motor spirit, otherwise called petrol, by fuel dealers.

However, few hours to the proposed meeting of organised labour with Government representatives, NNPCL released a list of adjusted pump prices for its mega stations across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
According to the released price list, the new pump price for premium motor spirit (PMS), ranges from N488 in Lagos State to N557 per litre in Yobe and Borno states, while it is N537 in Abuja and Enugu N520.

Reacting to the new pricing template, the NLC opposed it declaring that Nigerians would not accept any manipulations of any kind from any of the parties especially from the representatives of the Government.

NLC in a statement signed by its President Comrade Ajaero, said they are worried that the government through the NNPC despite the ongoing meeting of Stakeholders in the oil and Gas sector to manage the unilateral but unfortunate announcement by the President to withdraw subsidy on petroleum products, went ahead to announce a new regime of prices under a new pricing template