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Subsidy: Labour Union threatens strike, resumes talks with FG

Ahead of the meeting between the Federal Government and the organised labour scheduled to hold today (Monday), the Nigeria Labour Congress has said the government must meet its demands to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal.
The union threatened that it would not hesitate to call out workers for industrial action, adding that it only suspended its planned strike.
It stated that the high cost of fuel was inflicting unbearable hardship on Nigerians, adding that the government must act fast with respect to providing palliatives, as the NLC said it was expecting an increase in the minimum wage from N30,000 to N150,000.
The Federal Government and labour unions met on June 5, 2023, with a resolution to reconvene on June 19 to agree on the implementation framework of the resolutions reached.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives and current Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who led the government side, had disclosed this at the end of the meeting between labour and government representatives at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him, the June 5 meeting agreed on a seven-point resolution to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, on Nigerians.
“The Federal Government, the TUC, and the NLC to establish a joint committee to review the proposal for any wage increase or award and establish a framework and timeline for implementation.
“The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC to review the World Bank Financed Cash transfer scheme and propose the inclusion of low-income earners in the programme.
“The Federal Government, the TUC and the NLC to revive the CNG conversion programme earlier agreed with Labour centres in 2021 and work out detailed implementation and timing,” Gbajabiamila had stated.
Labour warns
But when contacted on Sunday to speak on the expectations of labour from the meeting scheduled to hold today (Monday), the Vice President, NLC, Adewale Adeyanju, said a lot of things had been presented by labour unions, stressing that the government should not act funny.
“There are a lot of things that labour has been putting before the government. The refineries need to be revamped. We cannot continue to import refined petroleum products and be spending on subsidies all the time.
“Labour has its set of demands and by the time we meet with the government tomorrow we will list them out again,” he stated.
Asked to state what action the NLC would take should the government fail to give in to the demands of labour, considering the plight currently faced by Nigerians with respect to the removal of subsidy, Adeyanju replied, “You know we only suspended our strike as a result of the need to meet on this.
“So the government should know that things are becoming difficult and they (the government) should not decide to do anything funny. The strike was only suspended. It was an ultimatum that was given out and it (strike) was suspended.
“So let’s hear what the government has for us and then we will know what to tell our members. It is about the lives of the people. Let’s meet them tomorrow and then labour will come out with its position.”
Adeyanju, however, expressed optimism that the meeting would be fruitful and insisted that the NLC would not want the government to behave funny.
“We hope that the meeting is going to be fruitful. The expectations are very high. The nation is watching and people are looking at how the Nigeria Labour Congress is going to handle the situation.
“And the government too will not like to behave funny because they know the country is battling with the increase in fuel pump price and so many things,” he stated.
On the proposal by oil marketers for the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas at filling stations, the NLC official stated that a technical committee had been set up by the Federal Government to look into the matter.
“The government has set up a technical committee on some of these issues. So I don’t want us to preempt the outcomes that will come out from that meeting tomorrow between labour and the government,” he stated.
Commenting on the need to deploy CNG, the National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Okonkwo, stated that oil marketers were looking forward to the outcomes of the meeting between the Federal Government and labour before making their moves.
“That meeting tomorrow (Monday) is very crucial, because marketers are ready to deploy CNG, but the outcome of that meeting will tell us whether the government is ready to give the support needed to make this initiative fruitful.
“We are very confident that with the deployment of CNG as a substitute to PMS, the harsh effect caused by petrol price hike would be addressed significantly,” Okonkwo stated on Sunday.
NLC’s benchmark
The NLC also stated on Sunday that it was expecting an increment in minimum wage from N30,000 to between N150,000 and N200,000.
It further urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that borders were re-opened to ensure smooth importation and exportation of food and farm products.
The National Treasurer, NLC, Hakeem Ambali, made the disclosure in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja.
When asked about the expectations of the NLC from today’s meeting, Ambali said, “We are saying that since petrol prices have increased by three folds, we expect minimum wage to be increased to a minimum of between N150,000 to N200,000.”
He said the expectation of the NLC was also that President Bola Tinubu would grant operational licenses for the creation of more modular refineries.
“We want a transparent agency to be set up to oversee these refineries. We don’t have to depend solely on multinationals. Already, we have some Nigerians who refine crude oil locally.
“Also, on the issue of energy, some Nigerians buy fuel for their generators and provide power for themselves, we want a review of the corrupt privatisation of the energy sector that gave generation and sale of energy to private individuals who have not added value to energy consumption in Nigeria,” he stated.
He said it was time for the government to look inward and see that these individuals were discharged for incompetence.
“Alternate power supplies like solar systems should also be put in place. When you travel to other countries like Israel, you see that solar energy is available there and cheaper and this is a clean energy alternative.
“We also want them to look into the transportation sector. We want the President to develop a master plan and provide a metro rail line for all the state capitals across the country. He should also open up the border and allow the free flow of market goods into Nigeria and outside Nigeria.
“The cost of running governance is too high. We also looked at that and we are of the opinion that the high cost of governance and number of appointments be brought down. We also believe that there should be a micro-credit scheme that should be put in place that will give loans to farmers and entrepreneurs at small digit rates,” he stated.
Labour demands palliatives
Amballi called for palliatives for Nigerians, as the price of consumables had skyrocketed.
Also speaking on the subject, the National Deputy President of the Trade Union Congress, Tommy Etim, urged the government to ensure that the requests in the charter of demands presented to the government were met.
“It is expected that the government will look into our positions. Since the removal of subsidies, workers have not been finding it funny, especially on the home front.
“Government must be fast in its actions. It is expected that by tomorrow, we would have reached a concrete agreement even as the negotiations continue,” he stated.
Asked whether the TUC would embark on strike if its demands were not met, replied, “Let us cross the bridge when we get there.”
Ohibaba.com reports that during his inaugural speech at Eagle Square in Abuja, Tinubu said the era of subsidy on fuel had ended, adding that with the 2023 budget making no provision for fuel subsidy, further payment was no longer justifiable.
“Fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu had said. He said his government would instead channel funds into infrastructure and other areas to strengthen the economy.
The presidential pronouncement led to an almost instant resurgence of fuel queues across the country as Nigerians rushed to get the product.
Though Tinubu’s decision received backing from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the House of Representatives, it has since been resisted by the NLC and TUC.
According to organised labour, the President could not unilaterally take a decision on subsidy removal.
The TUC President, Festus Osifo, had also argued that there was a reason the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari pushed the “sensitive issue” to the new government.
The NLC and the TUC had announced an ultimatum to embark on strike, with the NLC mobilising its members for a nationwide strike.
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JUST IN: Reps, Benue gov clash Over Insecurity as NASS resumes today

As the National Assembly resumes from its long recess today, the House of Representatives and the Benue State Government have disagreed on the reasons for the spates of killings in the state in the past few months.
While the Deputy Spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese blamed Governor Hyacinth Alia for what it called his abandonment of the state anti-open grazing law for the increase in the killings of innocent citizens in recent times, the governor fired back, accusing Agbese of knowing next to nothing about how laws are suspended in state legislatures.
Attacks in Ukum and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State in the past three weeks have left no fewer than 56 persons dead, with Gov Alia last week, appealing for Federal Government’s intervention to stem the tide.
Recall The two chambers had on March 27 proceeded on break to mark the Eid-el-Fitr and Easter celebrations and fixed Tuesday, April 29, 2025, as the resumption date. However, the Workers’ Days celebration on May 1 led to the extension of resumption by an additional week.
While on break, bandits in a senseless campaign of violence killed innocent Nigerians in Plateau, Benue and Zamfara States, culminating in calls for President Bola Tinubu to cut short his vacation in France to return home to lead the fight against insecurity from the front
The Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, said the leadership of the House is committed to speaking against all forms of criminality in the country, particularly the killings of defenceless Nigerians and destruction of their property.
He said, “As we resume tomorrow (Tuesday), we are prepared to tackle squarely the issue of insecurity across the country. We are tired of observing one-minute silence in honour of the dead all the time.
Like the Speaker, the Right Honourable Tajudeen Abbas always says, the life of every Nigerian is very important to the 10th National Assembly.
“To bring these issues to the attention of the government through urgent public importance is not a question we should be asking ourselves now.
We want to see action, we want to see Nigeria secure so that everyone can move freely without fear of being attacked or killed.
“During our sectoral engagement with security chiefs not long ago, they promised action, and we saw a reduction in these attacks. But that was then.
“Things have worsened again, and we cannot continue. We hope to engage them again, and if we are convinced that they don’t have fresh ideas on how to address the challenge of insecurity, we will recommend to Mr President to relieve them of their duties and appoint fresh hands to step in.
”Agbese also commended the leadership of the House, saying, “Since we came on board in June 2023, Speaker Abbas has continued to prioritise the well-being of Nigerians, and as part of this parliament, we are not prepared to rest yet.
Nigerians expect more from us and we can’t afford to let them down. What we must do as parliamentarians is to speak up when things are not going well.
“Killing Nigerians in their homes, farms or wherever should not be condoned. We are hopeful that as we resume our duty, we will lend our voices to the call for the safety of Nigerians wherever they are and that those tasked with maintaining peace and order, as well as the protection of lives and property, will step up their game and make this country secure for us all.
”On the incessant killings in Benue State over the past few months, Agbese who represents Ado/Ogbadigbo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency of the State, blamed the governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia for his handling of the state anti-grazing law.
He said, “Before his (Gov Alia) election, there was an anti open grazing law in place. He completely abandoned that law and was busy claiming that there were no issues in Benue.
The governor kept referring to the ECOWAS Protocol which guarantees free movement of people and goods within the West Africa sub region.
“Truth as that may sound, the ECOWAS Protocol does not make room for reckless human transit without documentation, and this is what some of us pointed out to the governor.
“Before now, when herders came into new settlements, the law required them to give information about themselves to the locals.
They were known to the people, but Gov Alia came and changed everything. At a point, he said there was no problem in Benue. We are happy that he is beginning to realise that this is not the way to go.
Meanwhile, Mr Agbese has called on Gov Hyacinth Alia and his Zamfara State counterpart, Dauda Lawal, to appear before the House Committee on Public Petitions as directed by the Committee Chairman, Mike Etaba last week.
Last week, the committee summoned the two governors, along with the leadership of their Houses of Assembly to appear before them on Thursday, May 8, to explain why their functions should not be taken over by the House of Representatives.
According to the statement, the invitation, “Was sequel to a petition written by a civil rights organisation, Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, urging the House to take over the functions of the two Houses of Assembly.
”The Committee insisted that its intervention is necessary “To ensure that the rule of Law is upheld at all times. The parties have a wonderful opportunity to state their cases clearly so that Nigerians can know what is going on.
Anarchy would never be given any space in our polity.
”Reminded that the State Assemblies have denied receiving the House summons, the Benue lawmaker urged them to move away from technicalities and appear before the Committee to enable Nigerians to hear their own side of the story.
“We can’t be hiding under needless technicalities all the time. If Nigerians are aware that there is a summon for the governors and State Assemblies to appear before a Standing Committee based on a petition, we expect the parties involved to appear before the committee.
“The National Assembly has the power to take over the functions of State Assemblies in line with the provision of Section 11 (4) of the Constitution. They should appear and let Nigerians know why that should not happen,” he said.
When asked if there will be consequences if they fail to appear, Agbese said, “Let us not discuss that yet. Let’s hope they will appear.
Thursday is not today, and I sincerely hope they will be here. There is no reason to think otherwise,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has asked the deputy spokesman of the House of Representative, Philip Agbese to go for further study on what democracy entails.
Responding to the allegations by the house deputy spokesman that the governor abandoned the anti open grazing law of the state leading to reckless attack on Benue communities.
The governor who spoke through his Technical Adviser on Communication, Media and Publicity, Solomon Iorpev said that in a democratic system, there are processes to repeal existing laws.
He said, “I don’t like to respond to those who do not know their right hand from their left hand because it’s only in a military regime that you hear about suspension of laws without following due process.
“But in a democratic system, you should know that there must be processes to suspend existing laws and since he (deputy spokesman) does not give evidence to that, it means the he doesn’t know anything about democracy.
Iorpev added that the governor had at several fora, reiterated his stance on the full enforcement of the anti open grazing law in the state.
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JUST IN: All 133 Catholic cardinals arrive in Rome ahead of conclave to elect new Pope

All 133 Catholic cardinals eligible to vote for a new pope have arrived in Rome, the Vatican confirmed today, ahead of the conclave beginning this week.
They will enter into seclusion in the Sistine Chapel at 4:30 pm (1430 GMT) on Wednesday, voting in secret until one of them secures the required two-thirds majority to become the next head of the Roman Catholic Church, reports AFP.
Summoned following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the group — representing 70 countries across five continents — is the largest and most diverse conclave in the Church’s history.
At stake is the direction of the Catholic Church, a 2,000-year-old institution with huge global influence but which is battling to adapt to the modern world and recover its reputation after the scandal of widespread child sex abuse by priests.
The 133 so-called “Princes of the Church” who will vote — all those aged under 80, minus two who are absent for health reasons — will gather on Wednesday afternoon under the frescoed splendour of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.
Voting once that day and four times a day thereafter until a pope is chosen, they will stay at the nearby Santa Marta guesthouse but are forbidden from contacting the outside world until they have made their choice.
They will inform the waiting world of their progress by burning their ballots and sending up smoke — black if no candidate has reached the two-thirds majority of votes, or white if they have a winner.
This morning, technicians installed red curtains on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, where the new pontiff will make his first appearance.
At issue is whether the new pontiff will follow the popular Argentine pontiff’s progressive line or whether the Holy See will pivot towards a more conservative traditionalist leader.
Francis, an energetic reformer from Buenos Aires, ran the Church for 12 years and appointed 80 percent of the current cardinal electors.
But experts caution they may not choose someone in his model, with many warning there could be surprises.
Vatican affairs specialist Marco Politi told our correspondent that, given the unknowns, the conclave could be “the most spectacular in 50 years”.
‘Calm The Waters’
Cardinals met this morning for the latest in a series of preparatory meetings, so-called general congregations, and will gather again in the afternoon.
All cardinals are invited to these, not just those eligible to vote in the conclave, taking the opportunity to discuss the issues that will face Francis’s successor.
“Nobody campaigns, for crying out loud. That would be extraordinarily stupid and indiscreet, and improper and counterproductive,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York.
“But you just want to get to know folks, and it works well,” he said on his own podcast.
Among the pilgrims and sightseers who gathered in the square on Monday, opinions varied widely about who could or should take over.
“Maybe more of Pope Francis than Pope Benedict,” said German visitor Aurelius Lie, 36.“
As long as he’s not too conservative (and) influenced by modern political leaders — (Giorgia) Meloni, (Donald) Trump,” he said, referring to the Italian prime minister and the US president.
“Maybe the Church will be thinking: ‘We need a tough pope now to deal with these people.’ But their terms will end in a couple of years.
”But Canadian priest Justin Pulikunnel did not hide his frustration at the direction Francis tried to take the Church, saying he personally sought a return to a more traditional leadership.
“Well, I hope and I pray that the new pope will kind of be a source of unity in the Church and kind of calm the waters down after almost a dozen years of destabilisation and ambiguity,” he said yesterday.
“Changing World’
The conclave begins on Wednesday afternoon and could continue for days, weeks or even months — although both Francis and Benedict XVI — who was pope from 2005 until his resignation in 2013 — were elected within two days.
Italy’s Pietro Parolin, who was secretary of state under Francis, is one of the favourites, as is Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Among the so-called “papabili” are also Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines and Hungarian conservative Peter Erdo.
But many more names have been discussed, and just like when Francis — then an Argentinian known as Jorge Bergoglio — was picked in 2013, a surprise candidate could emerge.
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako of Iraq told reporters before today’s meetings that he wanted “a pastor, a father who preserves the unity of the Church and the integrity of the faith but who also knows the challenges of today”.
“The world is always changing. Every day there is news. The Pope must read the signs of the times to have the right answer and not be closeted in his palace.”
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#FreeVDM: Protesters storm GTBank Abuja headquarters, demand VeryDarkMan’s release

Protesters in Abuja have stormed the headquarters of Guaranty Trust Bank to demand the release of social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
The demonstrators, who gathered in large numbers on Monday, chanted “#FreeVDM” while holding placards with inscriptions such as “Activism is not a sin”, “VDM is the masses’ liberator”, and “VDM has committed no offence”.
Recall that VeryDarkMan was recently arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations of cyberstalking.
The arrest has sparked outrage online and raised questions about the bank’s alleged complicity in what critics describe as a targeted crackdown.
According to his legal representative, activist-lawyer Deji Adeyanju, VeryDarkMan was ambushed by EFCC operatives inside the GTBank premises.
Denying the claim and releasing CCTV footage, the bank stated that the social media influencer was not picked up on its premises, and urged that further investigations be conducted.
In the video, VDM is seen leaving the banking hall and heading towards the car park moments before his arrest.
However, the footage does not capture the actual arrest, most likely because the security cameras did not cover that specific area outside the bank.
Recall that in May 2024, he was arraigned at the Federal High Court in Abuja on five counts of cyberstalking.
The charges stemmed from alleged online harassment of the Nigeria Police Force and Nollywood actresses Iyabo Ojo and Tonto Dikeh.
He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody until his bail hearing.
Later in November 2024, he faced fresh charges of impersonation before an Abuja Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Prosecutors accused him of unlawfully dressing as a police officer and presenting himself as one.
He again pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of ₦2 million.
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