The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently provide palliatives to ameliorate hardship occasioned by petrol subsidy removal and attendant hike in price of premium motor spirit (PMS).
The Kogi State Chairman of TUC, Comrade Sule Ahmed Tijani made the appeal during an session with newsmen in Lokoja on Friday.
The labour leader lamented that Nigerian workers are facing the worst moment in their lives, and are going to work with empty stomach.
Tijani said Nigerians can no longer bear the hike in transportation and foodstuffs in the country, adding that workers are loosing their lives and loved ones due to untold hardship they are facing.
He berated the government for failing to put up reasonable measures to cushion the hardship of Nigerians, stressing that the immediate past administration placed Nigerians in the pedestrian of perpetual poverty while the current government led by President Bola Tinubu has added to the problem.
“This has affected workers greatly. As I speak, transportation, food stuffs have all gone up. Workers in Kogi State are living on the mercy of God as we speak. Things are getting out of hand.
“It seems the government are paying deaf ears to the suffering of the masses. Workers don’t have enough money to go to work any more. An average worker working at the State Secretariat Lokoja and residing at Felele will be spending about N1500 for transportation to the office including feeding every day. Calculate N1500 for 20 working days. It means you are giving Peter to rob Peter.
“Unfortunately, the removal of fuel subsidy and the recent increase of petrol has further compounded the suffering of workers across Nigeria. Government has not done well for increasing fuel within two months of coming on board. The present administration didn’t tell us any reason for increasing the new fuel price.
“You will agree with me that N30,000 new minimum wage is nothing to write home about with the current hardship we are facing. This is pure wickedness on the part of our leaders in Nigeria. Nigerians are suffering and the rich kept smiling to the bank.
“The previous administration put many workers into suffering and now this one is added his own when we thought things will get better. We can no longer continue like this. As labour leader, it is expected for us to pacify our followers so that they won’t do something that is contrary to the law,” he said.
Tijani further knocked the proposed N8,000 palliatives by the Government, urging the present administration to look at it holistically on the modalities to solve the problems of Nigerians and not worsening it.
“Let them channel the N8,000 to revive our refineries. They should stop making full of us. We all know that, if the proposed N8,000 monthly palliatives is implemented, it will end up in the hands of the rich. The poorest families who are the target will not get anything. State Government and their allies will hijack it the way it is been done in the past” he stated.
While noting that labour are not looking at the option of downing tools to press home their demands, the TUC Chairman in Kogi State said they are waiting for government to come up with a genuine template to ameliorate the suffering of workers in Nigeria.
Tijani also appealed go Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to look into the plight of workers just like other states, and as a matter of urgency bring succour to workers in the state to reduce their hardship.
