Former Senate leader Mohammed Ali Ndume has called on the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to call off its planned strike, expected to commence on Wednesday.
Ndume, in a statement issued on Sunday, urged the labour leaders to return to the negotiation table and sort out areas of disagreement with the federal government before opting for industrial action.
The lawmaker called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to personally meet with labour leaders and assure them of the benefits of removing the subsidy.
He said: “This fuel subsidy removal is something we must do now or never. We need to open the wounds now and begin to heal them. The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, needs to work with the government to see how the effects can be minimised. If we don’t remove the subsidy now, some people will continue to milk this country. NLC should go to the negotiation table with the federal government. The NLC should not go on strike before negotiations. They should not make that mistake. Besides, there is no budget for subsidy. Where will the money come from?”
Ndume then appealed to President Tinubu to personally meet with labour leaders and resolve the issues.
“He should also assure them that things will be all right,” he added.
NLC said it would embark on a nationwide protest starting next Wednesday if the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNCPL) refuses to reverse the new price regime in the oil sector.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, disclosed this while addressing journalists on the resolutions of its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Friday.
President Tinubu declared in his inaugural address at Eagle Square, Abuja, last Monday that there would no longer be a petroleum subsidy regime as it was not sustainable.
Following the announcement, the NNPCL on Wednesday directed its outlets nationwide to sell fuel between N480 and N570 per litre, an almost 200 per cent increase from the initial price that was below N200.
