The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) will on Thursday (today) hold an emergency meeting with the national leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress to wade off the planned indefinite strike and nationwide protest by the labour unions.
The Head of Media and Public Affairs of the forum, Abdulrazague Bello-Barkindo, said the 36 state governors are expected to attend the meeting as the matter was considered to be of urgent national importance.
Bello-Barkindo explained that the governors are seeking to find ways to avert the strike action called by the unions in protest against the recent hike in electricity tariff and price of fuel.
“There is a need for all issues to be quickly resolved in order not to worsen the already bad economic situation, especially coupled with effects of the coronavirus pandemic,” the NGF spokesman said.
The meeting, which is the first NGF emergency virtual teleconference, starts at 6pm on Thursday.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige is also expected to meet with labour leaders Thursday.
The NLC had handed down a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to reverse the price hike or face industrial action from Monday, 28th September, 2020.
The TUC had also mobilized its affiliate members to participate in the proposed strike.
The NLC had, in the communique, said the petrol price increase, whether perpetrated under the guise of ‘full deregulation’ or ‘removal of fuel subsidy,’ had eroded the gain of the recent increase in national minimum wage as the new petrol price has induced a spiral wave of inflation in the price of goods and services, thus further deepening the misery of Nigerians.
The communique also said that after a careful consideration of the socio-economic realities, especially in light of the hardship they present to the working-class family and Nigerian masses, the NLC National Executive Council after an emergency meeting decided as follows:
“The NEC resolved to reject in its entirety the recent hike in electricity tariff by almost 100 per cent. NEC also unanimously rejected the recent increase in the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit and other refined petroleum products. NEC resolved that the price hike is ill-timed and counter-productive especially at this time of COVID-19 induced socio-economic dislocations.
“The NEC resolved that the twain decisions of increase in electricity charges and hike in the pump price of petrol in addition to the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) and bank charges will further impoverish the already impoverished masses of our workers and citizens and impose huge hardship and suffering on many Nigerian families.”
It also stated that the NEC resolved that the privatisation of the power sector seven years ago has not yielded any tangible result and therefore concluded that the entire privatisation of the power sector has failed and has become an avenue for continuous exploitation of Nigerians.
The communique further reads: “On the increase in the pump price of petrol, NEC concluded that whether the hike is perpetrated under the guise of ‘full deregulation’ or ‘removal of fuel subsidy’, what is obvious is that the price hike had eroded the gain of the recent increase in national minimum wage as the new petrol price has induced a spiral wave of inflation in the price of goods and services thus further deepening the misery that Nigerians are going through.
“The NEC, therefore, resolved that the first response by the government to the crisis in our downstream petroleum sector must be to ensure that all our petroleum refineries are working. NEC also resolved that government has business in business since the primary role of government is the welfare and security of citizens.
“In light of the foregoing, NEC resolves to endorse the decision of the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the NLC to embark on an indefinite strike action and peaceful protest, to take effect from Monday, 28th September 2020, if the government fails to reverse the recent hike in the pump price of petrol and electricity tariff and accede to other ancillary demands by labour and
“Pursuant to this, the NLC endorsed the decision of the Central Working Committee (CWC) for the NLC to begin a mass mobilisation of the Nigerian people, professional groups, religious organisations, market women, and the informal sector and congress civil society allies towards total compliance to the indefinite strike action.”
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