Reports indicate that there will today Monday, 16th of May 2016,be a meeting between the Federal government and representatives of the NLC and other stakeholders in a bid to avert the planned nationwide Strike.
It should be recalled that the NLC had issued an ultimatum which ends tomorrow night for the government to reduce the fuel price to its previous N86.50 iteration or face a nationwide Strike action.
According to the Vanguard, the meeting is slated for around 10am today and will have leaders of NLC, TUC, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and their Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN present.
The meeting will reportedly hold at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
The NLC has already warned Nigerians to stock up on food items and other necessities in preparation for the strike.
An NLC faction led by Joe Ajaero had also planned meetings today with civil society groups, market women and other Nigerians to put finishing touches to plans to shut down critical areas of the economy come Wednesday.
He had issued a threat of his own stating that the Federal government was to convene a meeting with stakeholders to determine the new price of fuel which is to come after the decision of the fuel hike is reversed.
He lay into the government accusing them of just wanting to extort Nigerians and not giving thought to how to produce fuel locally and keep the refineries working or even building new ones.
He expressed disappointment at Nigeria for having to import oil even though they are a major producer of the product.
He said “The Congress, therefore, decided that we reject this unholy hike in the price of petrol and shall take active steps to ensure that whatsoever philosophy or idea that must have propelled it is erased in the process.
“We shall also ensure that this government removes all bottlenecks that make supply of the product to the citizenry difficult. To this end, we resolve that the federal government reverses its illegal decision to hike the pump price of PMS to N145/litre between now and Tuesday midnight.
“A Joint Action Committee to fine-tune the strategies and actions for this struggle has been set-up for a mass action.”
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