The Federal Government and Organised Labour have remained tight-lipped about the outcome of their meeting held earlier today, which reportedly focused on critical issues such as the recent hike in petrol prices and its socio-economic impact on Nigerians, as well as the minimum wage.
While sources indicate that these topics dominated the discussions, neither the government nor labour representatives were willing to disclose details of the meeting’s resolutions.
Meanwhile, the leadership of Organised Labour, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), are currently convening a joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Labour House in Abuja. The NEC meeting is expected to assess the outcomes of the earlier discussions and strategize on the way forward.
It was gathered that key points of the government-labour meeting held at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) included the controversial fuel price hike, minimum wage adjustments, the implementation of Compress Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles, and fuel distribution logistics.
Among the government’s delegation at the SGF’s office were notable officials including Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA); Labour Minister Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Information Minister Alhaji Mohammed Idris; Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources; and representatives from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited.
Present at the ongoing NEC meeting are NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero, Deputy President Kabiru Ado Sani, General Secretary Comrade Emma Ugboaja, TUC Deputy President Dr. Tommy Etim Okon, Secretary-General Nuhu Toro, and Nigeria Union of Teachers President and NLC Deputy President Comrade Benjamin Anthony. Also in attendance are NLC Vice President Benjamin Anthony and Deputy Women Leader Comrade Deborah Yusuf.
As of the time of filing this report, the NEC meeting is still in progress, with many awaiting a formal update on the next steps regarding the fuel price and wage issues affecting millions of Nigerians.