Leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its Trade Union Congress (TUC), have come under relentless pressure to show some understanding with the Federal Government over the heat generated by the negative consequences of the removal of the fuel subsidies since Monday, May 29. That is even as the economic team of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remain in a quandary over the spiraling effects of the floating of the Naira and the high cost of living…..CONTINUE READING...CONTINUE READING
This is making Nigerians to be running out of patience with the two-month-old administration of the government which came on the mantra of Renewed Hope. Just on Thursday, July 13, the House of Representatives approved the re-order of the N819 billion 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act, granting President Tinubu request to spend N500 billion of it on palliatives.
Other uses to which the money would be put to are: N185 billion to fix roads impacted by flooding, N192 billion to fix farmlands destroyed by flooding, N35 billion for the judiciary, N10 billion for projects in the Federal Capital Territory and N70 billion for the new members of the National Assembly to support the working conditions of the new members of the National Assembly. Also, the Federal Government unveiled the proposal to share the $800 million World Bank facility offered to the country for conditional transfers to 12 million poor and vulnerable households.
Each of the families will get N8,000 monthly for six months. This has drawn a lot of backlash from the populace, who are feeling the heat of the policy enunciated by Tinubu. Those, who are conversant with the happenings on the political scene, confided in Sunday Telegraph that Tinubu and members of his team too are also feeling the heat as they have come to re- realise that winning election is different from governance.
One of our sources said: “He has come under relentless pressure. He has come to realize that putting his cabinet together is not a walk in the pack. “Some Nigerians are stranded due to the exchange rate and the floating of the naira. How he is going to navigate his way out of the quagmire is left to be seen. The economic team continues to meet in order to find a way out of it. Experts are of the view that you cannot develop an economy from taxation.
They are looking at various options and in the next two weeks, they will come out with the direction in which the economy will head. “Nigerians are losing their patience. People are saying Mr President, settle down and deliver on your promise, which you made during campaigns.” Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak, said the leadership of the organized labour under Joe Ajaero has come under relentless pressure to understand the position of the Federal Government.
The Source said: “The Labour is under relentless pressure to show under- standing with the Federal Government. Some past labour leaders are also asking is this how you will be looking and allow the country to go under? This has put the leadership in a dilemma. “Nigerians are not comfortable with the way things are. They feel that the president is not carrying them along in his economic policies. Such persons that are advising him to do the thing he is doing are not doing well the way he is going about it.
They want the subsidy regime reviewed, asking him to make amends. This has led to a shouting arguments among members of the economy team. “They are telling him that yes, he is the president and he wants to write his name in gold but the policy should have a human face with milk of human kindness. He should temper his economic policy with human kindness. This is what necessitated review of the N8, 000 per household cash transfer.
What people want is change.” However, NLC President, Joe Ajaero would neither confirm nor deny the pressure be- ing piled on him. He did not pick the calls put through to him nor replied to the What- sApp message sent to him, even though he read it. Also, our Source said that the President is in a dilemma over security in the South East. While some are of the view that he should release the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in order to bring about peace in the region and to give Ndigbo a sense of belonging, others are opposed to it.
“They have told him to handle the South East issue with care, especially the clamour for the release of (Nnamdi) Kanu. There are equal numbers of those who are favourably disposed to this as well as those who are opposed to it. They are saying that it will send the wrong signal. That it will embolden other agitators that there will be no consequence for rising against the state. They are saying that the law should take its course.
The people of the South East can be placated weighing both sides and take the decisions best suited for the situation. “It is now that real governance has started since coming after May 29. People are crying on the street that things are hard under his regime. They have not been able to come to terms with the dire consequences of the subsidies removal.” It was gathered that people, whose children are schooling abroad are stranded because they are unable to pay school fees due to the economy which is largely import dependent and is denominated in dollars.
When he came in the dollar exchanged for N760. “You are bringing in a new policy; you did not think it through. The same dollar now exchanges for N860. People can no longer live their daily lives any more as a result of the economic quagmire in which they found themselves. How he is able to determine that is yet to be seen. His economic team is made up largely of people who worked with him in Lagos.
The Lagos template based on taxation to drive the economy will not work. This is Nigeria and not Lagos. This is due to the diversity of the nation. “He does not have the luxury of Buhari, in spite of the situation he met on ground. Due to his political affiliation, Buhari did not have a strong economic team. This drove the economy under. Since he promised during the campaign that he would revamp the economy, let him handle that.”
However, Nigerians have been swift in their reaction. Outgoing country Director, Action Aid Nigeria and Centre for Social Justice, Abuja, Ene Obi, condemned the N8,000 cash transfer. She said it will cause more inflation. She said: “This is going to cause more inflation; Eight Thousand Naira is not up to $10 in the market today. What are you giving people? Are you giving this as a bribe to citizens?”
A political Activist, Dele Farotimi, speaking on national television, said: “The only thing left in Nigeria that the government gives by default because after it has destroyed our local capacity to refine, it then began an opaque system that it has destroyed by its own account. You hear them saying they are subsidizing, it is taken out of the country by being smuggled. Is it Iya Chukwudi or Dawuda that is manning the border?
Are they Customs? “The failure of the government at all levels, the impunity of the government, the stealing of the subsidy, nobody is talking about that. But in a callous and inhuman manner, those who pretend to rule over Nigeria by the courage to throw more people into what is already a bad situation…..CONTINUE READING
