The National leadership of Trade Union Congress, TUC has asked President Bola Tinubu to brace up for the challenges ahead, stating that governance is not a tea party.
It lamented however that the proposed N60,000 monthly minimum wage which was rejected by workers, shows smack of unseriousness by the federal government.
President of TUC Comrade Festus Osifo made the remarks when he featured on Channels Television programme monitored by theNewspad.com (online) Newspaper.
Osifo blamed the ravaging economic hardship on lack of consultation and lack of planning prior to the implemention of government policies, including petrol subsidy removal, which was floating along with the Naira against the US dollar by President Bola Tinubu-led government.
The TUC President said, “If the minimum wage conversation was taking place when the fuel subsidy was still there, and there was a single digit inflation environment, and the fundamental was quite alright, the case would have been different”.
Butz offering N60,000 monthly in Nigeria of today, it’s smack of unseriousness. For us in Labour, we will not accept that until government do the needful.
“The charge we are giving them (federal government and other Stakeholders) is that governance is not a tea party.
“Governance is not about sitting down and collect Federation Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) allocation at the end of the month and then you share. No! Governance is much serious than that. There are resources in Nigeria that could be turn around to impact the fortunes of the Country”.
Continuing, Comrade Osifo said, “when this administration came on board, they started throwing up policies. When you throw up a policy, you must look at it and how it’s going to affect the people.
“We did floating of the Naira at the same time we removed petrol subsidy. It was a disaster. You don’t do both at the same time. What was the consultation that was done?”, Osifo queried.
According to him, “You (federal government) did it when there was no substantive Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor in place. Because you do not have a substantive CBN Governor and his Executive who could meet, there is bound to be problems. Just check how long it took the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to meet.
Speaking further, the TUC President said, “Untill they met sometimes in February 2024, they almost did not meet in 4-5 months because the CBN was not properly constituted — And these are the people that could bring about the necessary policies to tame the effects of petrol subsidy removal in the economy”, the TUC President lamented.
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