Determined to avert tomorrow’s planned showdown by the Organised Labour to protest the increase in pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol from N86 to N145 per litre, representatives of the Federal Government and leaders of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and unions in the oil and gas sector were locked in a closed-door meeting yesterday.
The meeting, which was scheduled to kick off at 3:30p.m., did not start until 7p.m. even as there was a mild drama when the Ayuba Wabba-led faction of NLC insisted that they would not attend the meeting if Joe Ajaero and his team were allowed in. After series of arguments, Ajaero and his team comprising of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) were persuaded to stay out of the meeting.
The meeting was presided over by the SGF. In attendance on the Federal Government’s team were the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; Minister of Solid Minerals development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige. Others are Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole; Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly, Senator Ita Enang and other government officials.
The Labour team was led by the NLC President, Wabba, who was joined by the General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo- Eson, President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Olabode Johnson; President of the TUC, Bobboi Bala Kiagama, and Acting General Secretary of the TUC, Simeso Amachree, among others.
Oshiomhole had earlier met with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, possibly to harmonise Federal Government’s position before they went for the closed-door meeting at the SGF office. NUPENG and PENGASSAN had earlier endorsed the deregulation policy of the Federal Gov- ernment.
Addressing the meeting before going into a closeddoor session, the SGF said the decision to deregulate the petroleum sector was taken in the best interest of Nigerians, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari empathizes with Nigerians over the short term consequences of the decision. He said to deliver on his campaign promises, the government realised that painful decisions had to be taken, saying, “This could be one of such painful decisions.”
Lawal said due to the unavailability of foreign exchange for marketers to import the product, the NNPC had to bear the burden of importation, pointing out that in doing so, it had to overshoot its crude allocation, therefore reducing crude import and subsequent reduction of the available resources to the federation account.
He said with the decision to deregulate, the government believed that there will be adequate supply of products which will eventually force down prices, boost investment in the sector and provide employment opportunities for Nigerians.
He appealed to Nigerians and the organised labour to support the government decision and put patriotism ahead of personal or group interest. Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Kaigama said the organised labour lowered the intensity of its agitation against the government to sympathise with the various challenges the current administration inherited from the immediate past administration. He, however, said that the government should also sympathise with Nigerians who are suffering, noting that the Labour representatives came to the meeting with open minds. Kaigama noted that government should also muster courage to put in place palliatives to cushion effects of its policies on Nigerians.
Reacting to the Labour leaders’ presentation, Oshiomhole lamented that the Federal Government is currently swimming in financial mess it inherited from the past administration, but noted that Buhari is more concerned and worried about how policies of his administration are affecting Nigerians. He argued that the government was left with no option about the deregulation than to take the decision. “We have a president who is very concerned about the people.
The facts on ground are clear; to do nothing now will mean that we will find ourselves consumed by the problem. “I want my comrades to appreciate that this is not a decision that was easy to arrive at. How long do we sustain a system where people spend four hours to get PMS at the filling stations? “If the choice is between what is nice, what is painful and painless, President Buhari would definitely go for the painless,” he said. He cautioned the labour leaders against industrial action.
“We have to reflect on whether we should allow subsidy regime where a few people pocket trillions of naira. NLC and TUC should reflect on all these. We need open mind in occasion like this. I appreciate the tension workers are passing through now.
Many workers are not even getting the N18,000 minimum wage as and when due,” he said. The meeting afterward went into closed session. However, factional leader of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, said the decision reached between the government and Wabba faction was not bidding on his group. His words: “Government invited us as a faction. NUPENG and electricity workers’ union belong to my faction. “But the other faction said they preferred a separate meeting.
What that means is that we are going to have separate positions. So, the Wednesday they had fixed for action cannot be a date for us because they are trying to appropriate the power to call for action and to challenge issues on petroleum products.
They don’t have that power. “We will wait for our group to meet. But definitely, it appears that by ideology, we can no longer meet. We thought we could manage this for the interest of Nigerians. But from the look of things, it appears we have to go our different ways.”
