The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s July 31 national broadcast, according to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), was out of touch with reality and anomalous given the misery and suffering that the majority of Nigerians are currently experiencing.
The NLC stated in a statement issued by its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s opening remark demonstrated his commitment to a stronger and more prosperous economy.
The union stated that it anticipated the next line of the statement to address how the current administration intends to revive our public refineries, which have been sitting inactive for so long and are the main source of tension in the entire subsidy story.
Sadly, according to the NLC, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s whole speech was mute on the subject of repairing our nation’s refineries.
‘’Second, consistent with our perception of the misalignment of Mr. President’s promises and offerings to the reality faced by millions of workers and ordinary Nigerians was the failure of President Tinubu to unmask those behind the looting of Nigeria’s commonwealth under the guise of petrol subsidy. It is unacceptable for the President and Commander-in-Chief to lament like ordinary Nigerians about a group that Mr. President routinely referred to in his speech as the “elites of the elites” who have stolen so much from Nigeria that they have become so powerful as to constitute a threat to democratic governance. What Nigerians expected from Mr. President is a firm commitment to bring these economic saboteurs to justice and recover what they have stolen.
Third, Mr. President’s statement on working with Organised Labour to review the national minimum wage is out of sync with what has played out since President Tinubu removed the so-called petrol subsidy. In all the meetings scheduled by the government, Organised Labour has been forced to negotiate with empty chairs on the Federal Government’s side as the Federal Government has not matched its public promises with firm commitment to negotiate in good faith with labour. As a matter of fact, the sub-committee on wage award has not been inaugurated and has not met.” the statement read
The NLC expressed its concern that, despite President Tinubu’s profuse praise of the private sector in his speech for providing salary awards to workers promptly, the federal government has not done the same for public employees under its employment.
‘’This is a clear case of failing woefully to live up to the standards it has set for others to meet. It is open knowledge that the review of the national minimum wage is a matter of the law which is expected to happen in 2024. How would Nigerian workers cope with the current reality of hyper inflation and suffering unleashed by the hasty removal of the so-called petrol subsidy till 2024 when the national minimum wage would be reviewed? This is incredible!” the union stated
The union continued by saying that the Federal Government’s pledges to help poor Nigerians through palliatives, loans, conditional grants, large manufacturing companies, small businesses, and the provision of CNG buses are still just that: promises.
‘’Nigerians are used to such promises which have never produced any verifiable and meaningful changes in the lives of citizens.”
According to the labour union, it is unfathomable that the main players in the current administration, including the President himself, were crystal clear in 2012 about the necessity to address the underlying problems that led to the introduction of the gasoline subsidy.
‘’Those issues included the failure of previous governments to repair our national refineries and bring those behind the monumental subsidy sleaze to book. Today, these issues were swept under the carpet in President Tinubu’s speech. Nigerians wonder “What has changed?” he said
The union concluded by reassuring Nigerians that the Nigeria Labour Congress is still dedicated to aligning discussions with the government with the current hardships being experienced by Nigerians.
The NLC added that we are determined to continuing our campaign until we see a genuine commitment from the government to take the necessary action to better many Nigerians and lessen the hardship that workers and regular Nigerians are experiencing.
