- Says N8,000 palliatives, an insult to Nigerians
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Kaduna State chapter and its Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart in Kaduna have at a peaceful protest over fuel subsidy removal called on President Bola Tinubu to approve N200,000.00 as minimum wage and as well reverse fuel pump price to N185 per litre.
The Labour leaders described as an insult, the proposed N8000 Palliatives for Nigerians.
Specifically, the NLC State Chairman, Comrade Ayuba Suleiman called on the federal government to revive the four refineries in the country, saying, “if our refineries are working, we will refine our oil here in Nigeria, we want our refineries to be revived.
“Use the money you want to borrow from the world bank to revive our refineries, use the proposed N8,000 palliative to revive our refineries. We don’t need the government palliative”.
“We are demanding for salary ‘upper’, the minimum we can bear is N200,000. We want the fuel price to be reverted to N185 per litre”.
“We voted for democracy, good standard of living, equity and justice. The decision of president of Tinubu on 29th to remove fuel subsidy is causing untold hardship on Nigerians.
“We are demanding for salary upper, we are not for now looking for review of minimum wage like that of Udoji.
“Reversal of pump price of fuel to 185 because the court asked that status quo ante be maintained because prior to the negotiations, fuel price was N185.
“We demand free education from primary to Tertiary level and not students loan.
“Revival of the country’s Refineries because the four refineries are not working and God has blessed Nigeria with huge deposit of gas which can be converted to compressed natural gas, we want the Federal government to start the process of converting our huge gas deposit to compressed natural gas”.
Comrade Suleiman while addressing the workers during the peaceful protest in Kaduna said that the proposed N8000 palliative is an insult on Nigerians and should be rejected by all Nigerians.
The NLC chairman advised President Tinubu to instead use the proposed N8,000 palliative to revive the country’s refineries.
Corroborating the NLC position, the State Chairman of TUC Comrade Abdullahi Alhassan Danfulani and the National President of the National Union of Textile Garments and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) Comrade John Adaji also called on President Tinubu to consider the suffering masses and alleviate their plights in his policies.
The protest which started from the NLC Secretariat, along Race Course road, a stone throw from the Police Headquarters State Command, around the township stadium through the Independence way to the Constitution road and terminated at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium (ABS) where the protesters were addressed.
The NLC Chairman presented a formal letter with their demands to the Special Adviser on labour matters to the State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, Comrade Adamu Samaila for onward presentation to President Tinubu.
It was observed that business and office activities, including human and vehicular movements in the state was normal.