The National Labour Congress (NLC) has questioned the payment of fuel subsidies over the years, demanding the disclosure of those receiving the money.
OsunDaily News reports that the NLC has fixed Wednesday to begin a nationwide strike over the sudden increase in petrol pump price across the country.
Speaking during an interview with Arise Television on Sunday evening, NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, asked the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to reveal companies receiving subsidy payments.
“We need to know who these subsidies were paid to and what the funds were used for.
“Can we have the names of the people and companies that collected these subsidies? We have agreed on some alternatives before now, why are those alternatives not working?” He asked.
He also expressed disappointment following meeting between the government and the NLC on Sunday, June 4.
According to him, no progress was made during the meeting because “the government did not seem interested in the NLC’s position regarding the fuel pump price increase resulting from the removal of fuel subsidies by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has announced that it will consider list of demands from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) which includes minimum wage.
OsunDaily News reports that the present administration made this known after its meeting with the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) at the State House, Abuja.
Speaking to State House correspondents after a meeting between the Federal Government and the TUC which lasted for about three hours, spokesperson for the Federal government, Dele Alake, said that the government will also look at the practicability of the demands.
He said that most fundamentally the President, Bola Tinubu, will constitute a tripartite committee to include states and the organised labour and the private sector to study the dynamics of the minimum wage augmentation to reach an amicable conclusion.
Alake said: “Well, as you all know, we had this reconvened meeting today as we promised you few days ago when we had the initial meeting with the Labour movement.
“We said we were going to reconvene today to keep the engagement on in order to diffuse the tension in the land as a result of the withdrawal of subsidy, which is a reality.
“Now, we are very happy to announced to Nigerians that this engagement has been very productive.
“The TUC that attended today’s meeting presented a list of demands and those demands we have studied and we are going to present to Mr President, for his consideration.
“But those demands we can announce to Nigerians that a lot of the items on the list, are not impracticable. What we need to do is to study the numbers very well.
“Then, we have asked the TUC also to give us a leeway to consult very exhaustively and reconvene on Tuesday to actually look at the numbers, viability, practicability of all the items that have been presented to us.”
