The meeting between the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Federal Government regarding the removal of fuel subsidies concluded yesterday without a consensus being reached.
The meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa, began at 4 pm on Wednesday and saw representatives from both sides engage in extensive discussions.
The Federal Government was represented by key figures, including Dele Alake, the spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, and Mele Kyari, the Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
Also present were Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
On the other side, the Organised Labour was represented by Joe Ajaero, the National President of the NLC, and Festus Osifo, the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
After hours of deliberation, the NLC demanded that the Federal Government revert to the status quo by reversing the current fuel price before resuming negotiations.
Joe Ajaero, the National President of the NLC, expressed his dissatisfaction with the removal of fuel subsidy and emphasized the need to protect the Nigerian workforce. He called for a return to the previous arrangement and urged the government to propose additional solutions.
The NLC criticized the lack of discussion on palliative measures for Nigerians during the meeting, leading to their rejection of the latest announcement.
The union stated that they would reconvene with their members to determine the next course of action.
Contrarily, Dele Alake described the meeting as robust and expressed optimism that talks would continue.
He emphasized the possibility of reaching a reasonable conclusion during the next adjourned meeting.
