By Jide Orintunsin, Abuja
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the shelved nationwide strike by the Organised Labour as a victory for the masses.
It commended the Federal Government for successfully brokering an agreement with Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) leading to the shelving of the industrial action.
A statement by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena, in Abuja on Monday said the development was in line with the proven pro-people stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration.
The statement reads in part: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) commends Monday’s shelved nationwide strike following the federal government’s successful brokering of an agreement with the leaderships of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on the increase in electricity tariff and the price of fuel.
“The welcome and positive development is inline with the proven pro-people stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration which has always put the welfare and interest of the masses first in policy decisions and implementation. Indeed, the shelved strike is a victory for the Nigerian masses.
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“The federal government in temporarily suspending the application of the cost-reflective electricity tariff adjustments by DISCOs to allow for an all-inclusive and independent review of the power sector operations is evident of government’s pro-people stance.”
On the increase in pump price of petrol, the ruling party hailed the truce reached with the labour as they agreed on the urgent rehabilitation of the country’s refineries to deliver in full capacity in order to drastically reduce over dependency on imported products.
“Again, to reduce the cost of petrol, the federal government and labour agrees on the urgency to rehabilitate the nation’s refineries and increase our local refining capacity so as to reduce the overdependency on costly importation of refined petroleum products.
“To cushion the impacts of the downstream sector deregulation and electricity tariffs adjustment on the Nigerian masses, the federal government is among others implementing palliatives which can be easily assessed by Nigerian workers and financed from the Economic Sustainability Programme Intervention Fund with subsequent provision for 240,000 under the auspices of NLC and TUC for participation in agricultural ventures through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Agriculture.
“Also, agreed is removal of tax on minimum wage to cushion the impacts of the policy on the vulnerable; immediate provision to organized labour of 133 CNG/LPG driven mass transit buses; 10% housing allocation to Nigerian workers under the ongoing Ministry of Housing and Finance initiative through the NLC and TUC, among others.
“The President Buhari government has made solid commitments to rechannel saved national resources from the stopped fuel subsidy and deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector to other critical sectors such as infrastructure, health and education.”
The party then called on all well-meaning Nigerians and stakeholders to cooperate, partner and monitor implementation of these commitments and agreements reached by the federal government and organised labour.
The party further welcomed President Buhari’s transmission of the much-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill 2020 to the National Assembly.
The statement noted that “no doubt, the PIB will provide necessary legal framework to the long-sought reforms and ongoing deregulation of the petroleum sector in the country.”
