Subsidy Removal: FG sets up committee to liaise with labour union

The National Economic Council (NEC) has constituted an ad hoc committee to engage with the leadership of labour unions to resolve issues surrounding the petrol subsidy removal.
In a statement, Olusola Abiola, the spokesperson for the Office of the Vice President, said the decision was reached at the 135th meeting of NEC, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja on Thursday.
The committee comprises the Nigerian Governors’ Forum chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra and the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.
Others are the PDP Governors Forum chairman, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
Mr Abiola said the council also received progress reports on the ongoing nationwide distribution of rice, grains, fertiliser and other items to states and N5 billion in financial support provided by the federal government.
He said the council commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for their interventions.
He said NEC also mourned the death of some military personnel in Niger State and observed a minute silence in honour of the deceased while commiserating with their families.
“Below are other highlights of the meeting; Excess Crude Account from July 19 to August 14, 2023, US$473,754.57: Stabilisation Account from July 18 to August 14, N30,346,557,405.12; Natural Resources Account from July 18 to August 14, N115,175,616,159.65.
“At the 128th NEC meeting held on October 20, 2022, the then chairman of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, drew the attention of the council to the devastating effect of the 2022 flooding, which affected about 31 States of the Federation,” he said.
Mr Abiola said the council resolved to set up a five-man ad hoc committee on flooding, comprising Jigawa, Kogi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Lagos, and Yobe States governors.
He said those coopted into the committee were the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Minister of Water Resources, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, governor of the CBN and director-general of NEMA.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Economy
Embrace technology to compete with Fintechs, stay relevant, association urges banks
The association noted that traditional financial institutions had to keep up with latest innovations in order to succeed and thrive.

Showbiz
Britney Spears’ third marriage to Sam Asghari crashes after one year
Asghari, in a divorce petition announcing their separation, asked that spousal support and attorneys’ fees be paid by Spears.

Sport
Super Falcons grateful for FG’s $10,000 per player reward: Osinachi Ohale
The defender said the players were “grateful for this unexpected gesture” from the Nigerian government.

Africa
Oscar Pistorius jailed for murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp seeks early parole
The athlete claimed he mistook the deceased for an intruder on the fateful day.

Economy
Burger King, Subway, McDonald’s remove tomatoes from menu over rising prices
Following McDonald’s, the burger restaurant is the second in the nation to remove the item from its menu.

World
Woman threatens to kill judge ‘if Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024’
Investigators traced her phone number, and she later admitted to making the threatening call.