As states across the nation began to implement palliatives for their workforce to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government, the labour unions in the state, , like the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, have kept mum as Governor Dapo Abiodun continues to foot-drag on welfare packages for workers.
Recall that since the new administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu insisted on the removal of fuel subsidy, the economic hardship of Nigerians has increased.
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Governor Abiodun, a governor on the same political platform as the president and who was also the chairman of the Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, described the fuel subsidy as a scam, saying that its removal by the president would improve the lives of a lot of Nigerians.
Despite the governor leading oil marketers to a meeting with President Tinubu in Abuja over the removal, where they promised to donate 50 to 100, fifty-seater mass transit buses that would run on CNG, costing N100m each and N10bn cumulatively, the Ogun State workers are yet to get any entitlement to ameliorate the biting effects of the removal.
Meanwhile, a governor on the platform of opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, has introduced free shuttle rides and reduced working days for civil servants.
According to watchers, it is also strange that the labour unions in the state are mum on the development, which gives rise to the speculations that the defenders of the rights of the workers are in cohort with the government of the day.
Meanwhile, in a memo to the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde and seen by Freelanews, the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, PSJNC, has listed out palliatives needed by workers to reduce the downsides of the removal.
They included, among others things, increased the workers’ transport allowance by 400%, utility allowance by 200% and meal allowance has been increased by 300%.
Others include subsidized public bus transport system and reduction of health bill by 80% for the elderly and pensioners in the state.
Recall that a former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, revealed that the monthly allocations to states in June, 2023 almost doubled what it used to be before the fuel subsidy was removed.
He made this revelation when he was asked when Nigerians should start feeling the positive impacts of the removal.
“I think it has started happening already; the bold decision that was taken to withdraw the (fuel) subsidy has major implications. As an example, I was informed that the allocation that went to the states this month is nearly double what it used to be.
“Which means that indirectly, those dividends of democracy being talked about have started happening and then if the governors at the state level can also try very hard to ensure that some of these resources that are coming to the states are also allowed to percolate down, those are the way and means that we can start feeling that the removal of this subsidy is having a direct impact on what is happening generally,” he stated.
Riding on this revelation and happenings in other states, pundits wondered why the Ogun State government, in collusion with labour unions, which are supposed to be the hopes of the workers population, is keeping mum in reducing the negative impacts of the subsidy removal when more funds were allegedly made available to the state’s purse as a result of it.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
