FG not sincere, deceiving Nigerians, says NLC, as subsidy palliatives meeting fails to hold

Leaders of the organized labour on Friday left the Presidential Villa, Abuja, disappointed as the meeting on petrol subsidy palliatives failed to hold.

The meeting failed to form a quorum and was forced to adjourn, Persecondnews reports.

The President of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajero, and the General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Nuhu Toro, led organised labour out of the meeting with the Federal Government.

The labour leaders were to meet with the Presidential Steering Committee established in June to discuss palliative measures and to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal that had worsened the socio-economic well-being of Nigerians, especially workers.

They, however, expressed disappointment with government’s lackadaisical attitude and accused it of ignoring their concerns.

After the last meeting between the government and organised labour on Wednesday, the NLC and TUC had insisted on holding their scheduled nationwide protest on August 2.

A Labour leader said: “They are using cover to deceive Nigerians. There are supposed to be three subcommittees, mass transit subcommittee, the CNG, and the cash transfer, to brief us, the steering committee, but government was not prepared for the meeting.

“In their introductory remarks, they made excuses, and they wanted the meeting to continue; the meeting did not form a quorum. If there is no quorum, we are a people that operate on the basis of process.

“So, if there is no quorum in a meeting, what do you do? You will adjourn for lack of quorum.

“There was nobody to meet with. The chief of staff was not there; they are taking us like small children.”

The union leaders had complained that because their names were allegedly not on the visitors’ list for security clearance, they were made to wait a very long time at the State House main entrance gate.

They eventually made it to the venue, the conference room of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila.

He was not there, but he was said to have been waiting for the labour union leaders to come while the confusion at the entrance gate persisted.

The labour leaders had met the Special Adviser on the Energy Sector, Olu Verheijen, waiting in the room.

But while she was trying to alert the Chief of Staff to come to the meeting room, the Labour leaders walked out.