On Tuesday the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has said the labour movement is open and ready to dialogue with the President Bola Tinubu-led administration on the fuel subsidy issue.
It, however, urged the federal government, in the interest of the country and its people, not to dictate on such a matter or engage in manipulating the outcome of such consultations.
TUC made this known in a statement signed by its President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, Mr Nuhu Toro, on Tuesday in Lagos, urging the government to tarry a while on the issue.
The union was reacting to Tinubu’s Monday inaugural speech, where he mentioned that the fuel subsidy was no longer justifiable and was gone.
In the statement, TUC said: “We dare say that this is a very delicate issue that touches on the lives, if not the very survival of, particularly the working people, and hence ought to have been treated with utmost caution.
“Also, it should have been preceded by robust dialogue and consultation with representatives of the working people, including professionals, market people, students and the poor masses.
“Accordingly, we hereby demand that President Tinubu should tarry a while to give room for robust dialogue, consultation and stakeholders engagement, just as he opined in his speech, until all issues and questions – and there is a host of them – are amicably considered and resolved.
“Nigerian workers and indeed masses must not be made to suffer the inefficiency of successive governments.”
