*Urges organised labour to be patient with government
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has assured the organised labour in the State of better welfare packages that will cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on workers and the general public.
Governor Oyebanji, who gave the assurance in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday while addressing protesting labour unions, said his government had already set up a committee to meet with the organised labour to finalize proposal for palliatives aimed at cushioning the effect of the subsidy removal on the citizens.
The Governor, who spoke through the Head of Service, Barrister Bamidele Agbede, said he and President Bola Tinubu were not unmindful of the effects of subsidy removal on the incomes of salary earners and other citizens,
He added that a cluster of palliative measures is being planned just as salary increase is being discussed with relevant stakeholders.
While appreciating the labour unions for the peaceful protest, the Governor appealed for calm that things would get better very soon.
Earlier in their separate addresses, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ekiti State Chapter, Comrade Kolapo Olatunde and the Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Sola Adigun said the removal of the fuel subsidy by the Federal Government was a welcome development that should better the lot of the masses but has turned to be against the people because of the unfavorable exchange rate.
The labour leaders, who decried the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy noted that the step has paralyzed almost all sectors of the nation’s economy.
They urged both federal and state governments to take prompt actions in alleviating the hardship faced by Nigerians, saying the palliative rolled out by the President in his nationwide broadcast on Monday night fell short of the expectations of the Nigerian masses and very insignificant to cushion the effect of the suffering in the country.
