The Presidential Steering Committee on Palliatives, which includes the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), met with Federal Government representatives on Monday at Aso Rock, Abuja, to review progress on plans to mitigate the impact of the subsidy removal.
The meeting was held in the Chief of Staff Conference Hall and was attended by NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero, TUC leader Festus Osifo, NLC General Secretary Comrade Emma Ugbaja, and TUC Secretary Nuhu Toro. Other members of the organised labour delegation included Prof. Sam Amadi.
From the government side, attendees included the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, the CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and the President’s Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen, among others.
The meeting comes after the organised labour representatives abruptly left a meeting last Friday, expressing dissatisfaction that no high-ranking government officials were available for negotiation.
The goal of both meetings is to review progress from three subcommittees – mass transit, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) committee, and the cash transfer committee – that are working on plans the government has proposed to mitigate the impact of the subsidy removal.
The meeting ended without any major announcements, but both sides said they were committed to working together to find a solution that is fair to all Nigerians.
