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A Federal Government delegation has held a crucial meeting with a team of organised Labour, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) over the increase in petrol prices and other commodities in the country.
The high-powered delegations met at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, inside the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, led the Federal Government's team while NLC President, Joe Ajaero and TUC Secretary General, Nuhu Toro, led the organised labour contingent.
Also in attendance were Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Minister of State for Labour, Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, and Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
Although the agenda of the meeting couldn't be ascertained as of press time, the organised labour has been expressing grievances over the hike in petrol pump price, electricity tariff, skyrocketing inflation, and the high cost of living in the country.
The meeting came barely one week after the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) did an upward review of petrol prices at its retail outlets across the country.
This resulted in a jump in petrol prices at NNPCL stations from ₦855 to ₦998.
The latest increase occurred less than one month after the national oil company jacked up the price of petrol.
On September 2, 2024, NNPCL hiked pump prices at its retail outlets from ₦568 to ₦855, sparking outrage from Nigerians.
Petrol prices have continued to rise since May 29, 2023, when President Bola Tinubu declared in his inaugural speech that ''subsidy is gone.''