ABUJA, Nigeria – A high-profile meeting addressing the fallout from the removal of fuel subsidies ended abruptly on Friday, July 28, 2023, when representatives of Nigeria’s labour union stormed out of the Presidential Steering Committee meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, President, Joe Ajaero, who had led the labour delegation to the Chief of Staff’s office for the meeting, expressed frustration with the lack of government readiness to engage substantively on the issue.
The walkout left the proposed discussion in disarray, stoking tensions further over the controversial subsidy policy.
“The government is using these meetings as a cover to deceive Nigerians,” an anonymous labour representative from the Steering Committee angrily declared.
He added that government representatives attempted to continue the meeting without a quorum, which he described as disrespecting due process.
The Steering Committee was established to formulate strategies that would alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerian workers.
Three subcommittees focusing on Mass Transit, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and Cash Transfers were set up to make specific recommendations.
The labour representative criticized the absence of government officials who were members of these subcommittees at the meeting.
However, government sources suggest that a mix-up regarding access clearances for labour representatives at the State House gate, also known as the Mopol gate, may have contributed to the meeting’s disruption.
The Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, had reportedly waited for the labour delegation before stepping out for other official duties within the Villa.
Labour leaders confirmed their plans for a nationwide protest on August 2, 2023, underscoring their frustration over removing petroleum subsidies.
Despite attempts by government representatives at a meeting last Wednesday to dissuade the labour leaders, the protest is set to go ahead.
“We are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique,” insisted NLC President Ajaero. The Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, echoed his sentiments: “During the meeting, we gave them sufficient feedback. And they also agreed to go and look at those feedbacks and get back to us on Friday.”
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Ms Olu Verheijen, stressed the progress made in the talks, highlighting efforts to expedite interventions to mitigate the increased cost of transportation.
She insisted that the government was committed to a thorough approach to the palliatives, aiming to make “credible and impactful” announcements.
However, following Friday’s dramatic walkout, the path to a resolution remains uncertain.
