The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has rebuffed the denial by the presidency that there was no discussion of any offer in exchange for fuel price increase during the minimum wage meeting between the organized labour and President Bola Tinubu.
While reacting to the recent increase of petrol pump price from N617 per litre to N897 by the Nigerian National Petroluem Company Limited (NNPCL), the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, had said that labour felt betrayed by the increase because it opted to collect N70,000 as new minimum wage against its demand of N250,000 because of the understanding that the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, would not be increased.
But the presidency, through its Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, had, in a statement via his X handle, said that he was in the last meetings the organized labour held with the President and that there was no time such an offer in exchange of fuel price was made.
Responding to the presidency claim, the NLC through its Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, said it stood by its statement.
In a statement in Abuja, the NLC said, “Our attention has been drawn to the denial credited to the Senior Special Assistant to Mr President on the Print Media, Mr Abdulaziz Abdulaziz.
“In the said statement, Abdulaziz was quoted as saying, “I sat through the two meetings President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange of fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians”.
“We find amusing the denial of Abdulaziz. We have since asked ourselves if he is suffering from selective amnesia or attention span deficit.
“However, not satisfied with his dubious denial, he elected to take a side dig at Comrade Joe Ajaero as “…once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians”.
“Whatever the matter is with Abdulaziz, we stand by our statement. And if Abdulaziz was at those meetings as he claimed, he should be courageous enough to let the world know whether the President gave the labour leaders one hour to meet and resolve to either accept and allow increase or accept N62,000.
“Labour leaders instead chose to meet outside the Villa and report in a week. When they came back, they were blunt and rejected the offer.
“As for Abdulaziz’s side-dig, he should stop insulting the intelligence of Nigerians, as they do not need Comrade Joe Ajaero to know they have been taken for a ride and that life has never been this mean, all due to the policies of government.
“We also find it necessary to let Abdulaziz and those who sent him know that Nigerians are entitled to a decent, respectable life free from harassment, intimidation, and starvation.
“Government may have all the ultimate weapons of coercion; true power resides with the people.
“Finally, we are also acutely conscious of the fact that falsehood does not live forever.”
