Director General of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Mr Adewale Ojerinde, has warned that “Nigerians must not be made to suffer over the planned removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.”
He spoke during the 40th year anniversary of Michael Imoudu Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), held in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
There has been tension between the workers and the government over the issue.
The federal government backed out of the plan recently despite the subsidy rising to over N6trn in the 2023 budget.
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On Tuesday, experts and the World Bank, including two former CBN governors, Sanusi Lamido, Governor Charles Soludo and El-Rufai of Kaduna State, warned against bankruptcy if the incoming administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu continues with the policy.
But the NECA boss said, “While we strongly support the removal of subsidies, the government must first fix the refineries.
“We understand serious efforts are ongoing to fix the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries. With the coming on board of Dangote, Nigeria should have sufficient fuel from local production that can serve us on a daily basis.”