Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has appealed to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for patience and understanding regarding President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian governors.
Sani made this request during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Thursday.
He explained that President Tinubu and the governors are implementing precautionary measures and strategies to mitigate the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
He said, “I agree, there was a fuel subsidy but because of the level of corruption involved, it has never moved Nigeria forward and of course, in fighting corruption, you have to believe that corruption will fight you back.
“I am going to urge the Nigerian Labour Congress, TUC, and all other trade union leaders to give President Asiwaju a bit of time; he has good plans, and we, the governors, have good plans for everyone.
“So, we have to be very careful in the way we approach these issues so that we don’t make promises that we can’t fulfill,” he said.
Sani noted that the NLC, TUC, and all labour unions are fully involved in what the government is doing and are aware of the challenges the nation is facing.
The governor said, “We, as the governor, have been taken by the level unions at the state levels. Mr President is someone who believes in making sure he carries everyone along.
“The approach here is to look at this issue from a bigger picture and that is what President Asiwaju is doing, and I have no doubt in my mind,” he said.
He added that the most marginalized people in society ought to be given the opportunity to participate in labour agreement decision-making.
He stated, “When we are looking at how we solve this problem of fuel subsidy and how it affects the economy of the people generally, we have to talk about people that can be on the table.
“I am talking about people that are vulnerable, underserved, the market women, the farmers, people living with disabilities – they are also affected; they go to the same markets; they use the same transportation; and they constitute about 90 percent of the population,” he stated.
Sani noted that all the stakeholders must be considered as a whole in order for the nation to resolve this issue.
Recall that the National Economic Council (NEC) earlier on Thursday urged organized labour to shelve their planned industrial action.
