The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticized the Federal Government’s intention to allocate N500 billion to Nigerians as relief measures aimed at mitigating the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
According to the NLC, this move is seen as a deceptive tactic that would exacerbate the hardships faced by the citizens.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, characterized the actions of the Federal Government as taking away from the Nigerian people to cater to and benefit the wealthy, according to a statement.
He accused the government of veering towards dictatorship rather than prioritizing the well-being of its citizens.
“It is on this basis that the NLC strongly condemns the decision of the Tinubu-led administration to seek the approval of the National Assembly to obtain another tranche of external loans worth N500b from the World Bank to carry out a phantom palliative measure to cushion the effect of its poorly thought-out hike in the prices of Premium Motor Spirit.” He noted.
Ajaero asserted that the government’s suggestion to provide N8,000 to 12 million of the most impoverished Nigerian families for six months is a disrespectful affront to the collective intelligence of the people and ridicules their patience.
The NLC President emphasized that the government’s plan to allocate N70 billion to National Assembly members and N36 billion to the judiciary is insensitive, as it essentially diverts the people’s shared wealth into the pockets of public officials.
“There is no other way to explain the proposal to pay a misery sum of N8,000 Naira to each of the mysterious poorest 12 million Households for six months which amounts to N48,000 and pays just 469 National Legislators N70b or about N149m each while the Judiciary that has about 72 Appeal Court Judges, 33 National Industrial Court Judges, 75 Federal High Court Judges and 21 Supreme Court Judges and a total of about 201 Judges receive a total of N35b or N174m each. The statement added.
On July 12, President Bola Tinubu sent a letter to the House of Representatives requesting an amendment to the 2022 supplementary appropriation Act. The amendment was sought to enable the Federal Government to access N500 billion for palliative measures aimed at mitigating the impact of subsidy removal.
The President had also in another letter to the House, also asked for approval of additional financing for the national social safety net programme scaled up by the National Assembly saying this would have a multiplier effect on about 60 million individuals.
President Bola Tinubu has said 12 million families will get N8,000 over a period of six months to lessen the hardships faced by Nigerians as a result of subsidy removal.
Meanwhile President Bola Ahmed had on Tuesday directed the immediate review of the 8,000 Naira conditional cash transfer programme aimed at providing succour to most vulnerable households.
The President has also directed the unveiling of the whole palliative package meant to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
RN
