FG, Labour discuss modalities to crash transport fares, food prices

Following the high rate of inflation which has plunged the prices of food and service and increase transportation fares, the  Federal Government and Organised Labour, have agreed on modalities to tackle the situation.

The discussion became necessary as the  House of Representatives and other major stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to reverse the recent petrol price hike and take concrete steps to stabilise petrol and cooking gas prices through interventions, such as temporary price relief measures, tax reductions, or subsidies on LPG for low-income households.

According to sources, the labour and federal government should continue to maintain dialogue to foster relationship that once existed.

One of the sources who pleaded anonymity said, “As part of efforts at crashing transport fares across the country, the Federal Government will hold a meeting with state governors to fully embrace the CNG buses. This will also affect the cost of foodstuffs as it will reduce the costs of transporting food items from different locations to consumers drastically. These are parts of efforts to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal on the citizens.

“The government also promised to summon a meeting of the economic council to impress it upon state governors to ensure the new minimum wage takes off across the country this month.

“It also promised to incorporate labour into the economic council, so labour will participate and monitor economic policies of government, instead of government throwing policies at labour and Nigerians that may result in agitation or protest.

The sources equally said “government promised to pay all outstanding arrears and wage awards to workers and inaugurate all the boards labour has representatives.”

Asked if labour was satisfied with the meeting, the source said:  “It is not about satisfaction but a way forward from the past where government was not discussing with organised labour.

The joint National Executive Council, NEC, meeting between the two Labour centres, NLC and TUC, was held to brief members about the meeting resolution with the government.

Recall that among government’s representatives at the meeting were Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, NSA; Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Labour Minister; and Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

Others include Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Information Minister; Heineken Lokpobiri, Petroleum Resources Minister, Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), and representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL.

Also present at the joint meeting were the President of NLC, Mr Joe Ajaero; Deputy President, Kabiru Ado Sani; the General Secretary, Mr Emma Ugboaja; Deputy President of the TUC, Dr. Tommy Etim Okon; the Secretary General, Nuhu Toro; and the President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, who is also a deputy president of NLC.

Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris said the Federal Government will intensify dialogue with the organized labour to douse out crisis or tension.

‘’We will continue to interact with them. We won’t wait until there is tension about anything before we engage Labour.

“This is a renewed commitment on behalf of government to continue to engage Labour on a number of issues. These engagements have been very fruitful and we will continue to engage with them for the good of the country.”

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to reverse the recent petrol price hike and take immediate steps to stabilise petrol and cooking gas prices through targeted interventions, such as temporary price relief measures, tax reductions, or subsidies on LPG for low-income households.

It also called on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Ministry of Petroleum Resources and other relevant agencies to expedite the repair/maintenance of domestic refineries and increase local refining capacity as a stop-gap measure to reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products.

The lawmakers further urged the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to implement monetary policies that would mitigate the adverse effects of fuel price hikes on inflation, particularly with regards to essential goods and services.

These resolutions were sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda and 111 other lawmakers.

Debating the motion, the Deputy Minority Leader, Aliyu Madaki, expressed concern that in recent months, the prices of petrol and cooking gas have skyrocketed and continued to so do, creating an unsustainable financial burden on ordinary Nigerians and exacerbating the cost of living.

He said: “The House is worried that escalating fuel and gas prices are impacting the cost of transportation, food, essential goods and healthcare, further increasing inflation and pushing many families into deeper financial hardship.

“Further concerned that businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, are struggling to manage their operational costs due to increased fuel prices, thus threatening economic stability and job security.

“The rising cost of petrol and cooking gas poses a significant threat to the livelihood of millions of Nigerians and unchecked inflationary pressure caused by the increased prices can lead to social unrest, increased poverty rates, and negative long-term economic effects.

“Unless urgent and pragmatic steps are taken to control the rising cost of petrol and cooking gas, the nation will go into economic crisis, leading to negative outcomes, such as increased crime rate and mortality rate.’’

The lawmakers also encouraged state governments to adopt policies that alleviate the financial burden on their citizens, such as waiving taxes or levies on transportation and goods affected by high fuel costs.

The House further mandated its special adhoc committee investigating fuels price increase to investigate and report back within two weeks for further legislative action.