Members of the Presidential steering committee on palliatives, comprising the representatives of the Federal Government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) are currently meeting at the Chief of Staff conference hall in Aso Rock, Abuja.
The meeting comes amid threats of nationwide strike on Wednesday by the NLC over the economic hardship that followed the petrol subsidy removal.
It is important to note that the organised Labour had walked out of a similar meeting last Friday, saying that there were no top government officials to negotiate with them, thereby accusing the government of not being serious.
The botched meeting was to take briefings from three subcommittees of mass transit, compressed natural gas (CNG), and cash transfer, which the government had proposed to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.
Present at the ongoing meeting at the Aso Rock are NLC President, Joe Ajaero; TUC President, Festus Osifo; General Secretary of NLC, Emma Ugbaja; TUC Secretary, Nuhu Toro and other members of the organised labour delegation including Sam Amadi, former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Representatives of the Federal Government include the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited; Mele Kyari; the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen and other government officials.
