The National Economic Council (NEC) has appealed to organised labour to stay action on the plan to initiate an indefinite nationwide strike from Tuesday.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State disclosed the resolution on the matter on Tuesday to State House reporters after the NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The post-NEC meeting media parley also had briefings from Governors Dikko Umar Radda (Katsina State), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa State), the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and his counterpart in Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, and the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) had directed their affiliate bodies to commence the nationwide industrial action from Tuesday over failure to address the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
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Speaking on the NEC decision on the matter, Mutfwang said the council believed that continuing on the path of dialogue would be the best option for the economy, especially at the state level.
“The council noted further the implication of this strike for the economy and the nation and thus urged members to continue to engage with the leadership of their respective states and to appeal to them to shelve the action and continue on the path of dialogue with the federal government. This is the appeal of Council,” he said.
Mutfwang, who appealed for more time for the government to address the concerns of labour, said there were feelers indicating that leadership at every level genuinely wanted the issues raised by the labour addressed once and for all.
He added “We also believe that President Bola Tinubu will be addressing the nation on Oct. 1, and some of the concerns of labour will be appropriately addressed in the president’s speech.”
While speaking, the vice president identified stability as one of the primes in the economic agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for the year 2024.
The VP stated that federal, state and local governments must remain committed to reevaluating their priorities, streamlining processes, and making bold decisions that would reflect key social issues, including social protection, social investment and nutrition.
In his opening address at the NEC meeting titled, “Planning for Stability: Our Agenda for Economic Growth in 2024,” Shetimma reminded the governors and other members of NEC that the weight of the tough decisions to rescue Nigeria’s economy depended on their cooperation and goodwill.
Wike, while briefing on the work of the Committee on Impact of Flood and Disaster across the States in Nigeria led by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, said “NEC resolved to develop a roadmap for intervention and directed NEMA to provide immediate intervention on relief to affected states.”
Governor Radda, who gave updates on palliative distribution across the states, said the NGF Chairman and the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq told the council that members were making progress and urged them to re-double efforts as states looked forward to more interventions.
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