It has been reported that the leaders of Organized Labour have abruptly left Friday’s meeting of the Presidential Steering Committee on subsidy palliatives at the presidential residence in Abuja.
Remember that on Wednesday, the Steering Committee met with the government delegation, and that they promised to meet again on Friday to hear updates from the three subcommittees they had formed to investigate the various demands.
The government formed the Steering Committee to mitigate the impact of the gasoline subsidy cut on the workforce.
According to Vanguard, a delegation from the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) led by its president, Joe Ajaero, arrived to the Chief of Staff’s Conference Room at 5 p.m. but quickly left, saying that there were no briefers there.
The Labour team claimed that government officials who are members of the subcommittees were not present, and hence the Federal Government was using the meetings to mislead Nigerians.
Labour claimed that government officials, who are members of the subcommittees, were nowhere to be found, but a source at the meeting confirmed to Vanguard that the Mass Transit, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), and the Cash transfer subcommittees were supposed to be present to brief the Steering Committee on the measures put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on the workers.
They are not ready for the meeting,” an irate member of the Steering Committee proclaimed. Insisting that the government officials had urged the meeting go on despite the lack of a quorum, you are telling the truth.
Nigerians are being duped by their covert operations. We, the steering committee, were meant to get briefings from three subcommittees—the mass transit subcommittee, the CNG, and the cash transfer—but the government was unprepared.
The meeting lacked a quorum, but in their opening statements, they offered apologies and expressed a desire to press ahead. We are a group that does things the methodical way.
So, what steps should be taken if a quorum is lacking in a meeting? A quorum is not present, thus you must adjourn.
There was no one available for a meeting. They are treating us like infants, and the Chief of Staff wasn’t even there.
However, reports indicated that President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, was there in his Conference Hall waiting for the Labour delegation.
Later, while the rest of the government team was waiting for the Organized Labour to arrive, he left to take care of other business within the Villa.
There were also reports of a holdup at the State House entrance gate (also known as the Mopol gate) caused by a delegation from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The names of the Labour delegation reportedly were not provided to the gate for clearance, which is what caused them to be late for the meeting, as reported by Vanguard.
admin
