Palliative delay: “We have our plans if they fail to act”-NLC

Residents of the different states across the federation are yet to access the palliatives announced by the Federal Government last Thursday.

The Tinubu administration, last Thursday, announced the distribution of N180 billion and 180 trucks of rice to the states to ease the subsidy pains. Still, there has been a delay in the arrival of such materials to states.

According to PUNCH, the Assistant General-Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress, Chris Onyeka, is worried about the delay by the Federal Government in providing its palliatives. He also said NLC had its plans if there is any further delay.

“Yes, of course. We have been exercising patience, but the delay is becoming worrisome.

“There is a presidential committee on that, and it is supposed to implement this. The President also promised that he is going to restructure the committee. But as we speak, he has not restructured it, which has not happened. They better hasten up because we still have our plans if they fail to act.”
He revealed that NLC officials in states did not belong to the committee involved in sharing the palliatives.

Read also: Palliative: Bauchi Gov Bala Constitutes Committee For Distribution.

Onyeka said, “We are not involved. How can we be involved? How can we be involved with the governors to share the federal palliatives? We are not part of it. I told you that what they have done is to dash money, N5bn each, to the boys, who are the state governors.”

The NLC official confirmed that the labour union was working with state governments with their palliatives.

“For the ones engineered by state governments, our people have been involved since, like in the launching of buses by some states.

“But if it is the Federal Government-driven one, we are uninterested. It is not part of our agreement,” he said.

The Federal Government announced N5bn palliative for each state of the federation and 180 trucks of rice as part of measures to address the effects of subsidy removal, which includes a hike in food and petrol prices.

The N5bn enabled the state governments to procure 100,000 bags of rice, 40,000 bags of maize and fertilizers to cushion the effect of food shortage across the country.