By Busari Kabirat
The Nigerian President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made it known that there was never a time he promised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that his led administration will not increase the fuel price.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, requested response from the Federal government for the emergency fuel price hike yesterday, expressing its discomfort in respect to the recent fuel hike in price, also noted that the Federal government had betrayed them on their agreement before accepting the minimum wage of N70, 000 initially.
He said, “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.
“We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians,” Labour said, in a statement, on Tuesday.
Abdulaziz, the media to the Presidency, had through its X social media handle reacted to the comment by Labour of being betrayed, accused the NLC president, Ajaero and the rest of the Labour Union of playing dirty politics and deceiving Nigerians says, the two meetings held between President Tinubu and Labour was based on minimum wage and not fuel price increament
He wrote, “I sat through the two meetings President Bola Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum wage. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange of fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians,” Abdulaziz wrote on his X handle.
