On Thursday, the federal government promised a palliative of N5 billion for each of the 36 states to lessen the impact of the elimination of the gasoline subsidy. It also established an ad hoc committee to interact with labor union officials.
These are some of the conclusions reached during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the State House in Abuja, which was presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
A statement by the office of the vice president after the meeting said the members of the committee comprise the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State; Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo; Chairman of Progressives Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma of Imo State; PDP Governors Forum Chairman, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.“Council also received progress reports on the ongoing nationwide distribution of rice, grains, fertiliser, and other items to states and N5 billion financial support, provided by the federal government and commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for their interventions,” the statement said.
The statement read, “The committee will coordinate with the country’s labor union leadership to find a solution to the emerging issues in the interest of the country.”The elimination of fuel subsidies was declared by President Bola Tinubu on May 29 during his inauguration.The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) called on its members to participate in a statewide strike and protest on August 2 in response to the suffering that the decision had caused throughout the nation. They demonstrated against the increase in gas price. However, after the government met with the two unions, the strike was called off.
Read the whole NEC meeting statement in its entirety.
The National Economic Council (NEC) has established an Ad-hoc Committee to interact with the leadership of labor unions in an effort to establish a venue for discussion toward resolving issues regarding the elimination of petrol subsidies across the States.
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The choice was made on Thursday in Abuja during the 135th meeting of the NEC, which was presided over by Sen. Kashim Shettima, the vice president.The committee is led by AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, and includes Alex Otti, governor of Abia State, Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra State, Hope Uzodinma, chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, and Bala Mohammed, chairman of the PDP Governors Forum.
According to the vice president, the committee will communicate with the country’s labor union leadership to find a solution to the current problems that are in the best interests of the whole country.The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were praised for their interventions. The Council also received updates on the distribution of rice, grains, fertilizer, and other items to States and the ongoing N5 billion financial support from the Federal Government.
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