In response to the recent outcry over the removal of fuel subsidy and the subsequent increase in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, the Presidency has come forward to explain the delay in rolling out palliatives to cushion the effects.
The contemplated palliative is aimed at providing relief to the citizens and mitigating the harsh economic realities caused by the policy change.
The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, emphasised that the government was being cautious to avoid any mistake in the implementation of the palliative package.
During a meeting between government officials and organised Labour representatives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, Verheijen addressed journalists alongside the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Kachollom Daju.
The meeting, held on Wednesday, was part of a series of discussions centered on finding ways to alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal on the Nigerian population.
The government's steering committee, comprising various stakeholders representing the interests of the citizens, was formed to address the situation.
Verheijen highlighted the government's commitment to fast-tracking interventions that will bring immediate relief to the people.
The proposed measures include initiatives related to compressed natural gas (CNG), mass transportation, and cleaner energy options to reduce transportation costs.
In light of the impending protest organised by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to protest the fuel price hike, the presidency underscored the need to address the issues raised by labour unions to prevent further escalation.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, emphasised that the planned protest would proceed on August 2 unless the suffering of Nigerians was adequately addressed.
Speaking on the agenda of the meeting, Verheijen said, "it involves labour and some parts of government, it's a steering committee. it's a wide group of people, a wide group of stakeholders representing the interests of Nigerians. And we've agreed to continue to make progress.
"It was a very productive meeting, the focus was really around how we fast track a lot of the interventions that will bring relief, particularly around CNG, mass transportation, cleaner energy, transportation, and reduce the impact of the cost of transportation, the increased cost of transportation.
"So we've made good progress. And we're going to continue to do so and so that we can start rolling out these opportunities and this relief and measures as quickly as possible."
Asked if the labour would not embark on strike again as they have threatened to do, she said, "The labour unions will speak to that. But we are making progress, we're trying to address the issues that will prevent a strike. So that is essentially and that's why I feel like we made very good progress today and will continue to do so."
Further asked why it was taking so long to roll out some of your palliatives the government promised Nigerians, she said, "We have to get it right. It's important that we do this well, and we keep our promises. So it's important that whatever is announced actually gets done because we don't want to make big announcements that will continue to lose people's trust.
It's important that we build trust, and that most of the announcements and the plans that we roll out are credible and impactful."
Reminded Nigerians are suffering and are not expected to wait for too long for the palliatives to come, she said, "President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working assiduously to address all of these issues.
"And as quickly as he can, he's very empathetic, he is concerned about it, as you've seen all of us working round the clock here to make sure that we are able to announce these measures as quickly as possible. It's a whole package of issues that we're rolling out as quickly as possible."
Meanwhile, the President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, has insisted that the August 2 protest date stands if nothing is done to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians brought about by increase in the price of PMS.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after meeting with Federal Government's Steering Committee on Palliatives led by the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen.
Asked the outcome of the meeting, Ajaero said: "Well, the outcome is very brief.
"We met based on N520 increase and the committee that was set based on that and we agreed to to work to realise the objectives that was set during the last moment."
Asked organised Labour position on the palliatives yet to be provided, the NLC President said: "The two centers have made their position known and is before Nigerians, the TUC, the NLC, our position is known. And it's public knowledge."
Asked if Labour was going ahead with August 2nd plan protests if the federal government doesn't reverse anti-labour policies, he said: "Well, policies? I wouldn't know, we are going ahead with the protest because we have to be emphatic on what we put in our communique, to say we're commencing protests from the 2nd."
Asked if that means the organised Labour was not satisfied with the outcome of Wednesday's meeting, Ajaero said: "This meeting has no relationship with the....remember and I want you to be careful about it. There is 520 increment, which gave birth to this meeting.
Nobody is discussing about 617 as at now and this meeting didn't have the competence to address that. Is that clear? There are two issues, does that make sense?"
The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, asked if he was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting said: "Okay, we've had a meeting and the meeting majorly is to listen to the presentations that is coming from the Secretariat of the steering committee, so they have made presentation to us. We made our robust inputs into it.
"Some of the things they presented we did not agree with them. So the areas we did not agree, we also made our imputes known because when you come to such meeting it is for government or its representatives to do a presentation. But it's left for us to either agree or disagree.
"So during the meeting, we gave them sufficient feedback. And they also agreed to go and look at those feedbacks and get back to us on Friday."
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The TUC president declined to mention the areas of disagreement saying, "We are still discussing, I don't think it is quite good for us to be discussing those particular subjects now more so because they told us that they will come back to us by Friday and Friday is about 48 hours away.
"So it is better we hold on, we wait till Friday for them to give us a feedback then we can go into the nitty gritty."
Asked to summarized what labour really wants government from government, Osifo said: "What we want government to do is to address the plight of Nigerians. Nigerians are suffering, just as we said in our press conference few days ago, that Nigerians are suffering, that things are hard, that things are difficult, because things are difficult today in Nigeria, you must roll up programmes that will ameliorate the suffering, because at the end of the day, it is about Nigerians, because government exists in order to take care of the downtrodden, majorly.
"So all we are saying is that government must as a matter of urgency, because we don't have we don't have that time anymore. So as a matter of urgency must roll out various programs that will create alternative to PMS, and also palliatives.
"So these are the two focus, alternative to PMS, that is about the CNG and also the palliatives that must be brought out to ameliorate these sufferings Nigerians are passing through."
Asked the timeline, he said: "We are meeting again on Friday. So, when we meet on Friday, we will hear from them, they can tell us that by Monday morning, they will start rolling them out here so we meet on Friday."
