The Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has resolved to engage organised labour unions on the removal of fuel subsidy in the country.
Governor Kayode Fayemi, who is the Chairman of NGF, disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the end of the forum’s meeting which ended in the early hours of Thursday in Abuja.
Fayemi said that the 36 states governors met and discussed issues of national importance including removal of subsidy and Electoral Amendment Bill.
He said:“We discussed the issue around petroleum subsidy and concluded to engage the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress.
“We will engage them on how best to address this issue without causing any disaffection but to salvage the Nigerian economy for the Nigerian people at the end of the day.
“So, we shall be engaging the NLC as sub-national leaders and to ensure that the outcome of our engagement will also be fed into the national discourse,” Fayemi said.
Speaking on what was the input of the NGF in the proposed price of N302/litre as the price of petrol; Fayemi said the matter was not a decision of the governors but the exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government.
He said that even though it was the responsibility of the National Economic Council, the governors were contributing to the debate.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) had fixed January 27 and February 1, 2022, for a nationwide protest against the planned removal of fuel subsidy.