ABUJA, Nigeria – The Presidency has said at no time did President Bola Tinubu promise the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) that his administration would not increase the pump price of fuel.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, said this on Tuesday, in reaction to organised labour’s outcry that workers have been betrayed.
The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, demanded an immediate reversal of the adjusted fuel price increase by Tinubu’s government.
Ajaero said Labour accepted the ₦70,000 minimum wage because the President promised there would not be an increase in fuel price.
Labour had in the build-up to the minimum wage negotiation, held onto ₦250,000 to be the minimum wage.
“We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.
“We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians,” Labour said, in a statement, on Tuesday.
Abdulaziz, in response, accused Ajaero and Labour of playing dirty politics and deceiving Nigerians. He stated that the two meetings Tinubu had with Labour had no discussion concerning fuel price increases in exchange for minimum wage.
“I sat through the two meetings President Bola Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum wage. 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,” Abdulaziz wrote on his X handle.
