The Minister of Labour and Employment, Nkeruka Onyejeocha, has revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is equally affected by the recent fuel price increase.
The minister made the disclosure at a Town Hall engagement with organised labour and employers in Abuja, on Friday.
According to Onyejeocha, the President is not only human but also faces logistical challenges due to scarce petroleum resources and financial constraints.
She said: ” The President is aware of the hardship that the increase in petrol pump price has melted to Nigerians in the last few days.
“It has brought hardship even to himself. The President is a human being. Let me tell you how it affects him; when he comes out there are no vehicles and sometimes they don’t get enough money to buy fuel. It affects everyone to be honest.
“So I plead with all of us to show more understanding and know that when one is down everybody is down. There is nobody that is affected and that is why we should all put our hands and our heads, everything together under one roof to find a way forward that will bring in meaningful result to the nation. I pray you show more understanding.”
Onyejeocha also addressed the delay in implementing the new minimum wage, attributing it to the failure of labour to finalize consequential adjustments. However, she expressed hope that ongoing meetings between the government and the tripartite committee would soon resolve the issue.
She said, “As we speak there’s a meeting on government side this morning on the new minimum wage and consequential adjustment and by 2pm, the tripartite are meeting with the Head of Service. Once they get what we are supposed to pay they will start paying.
“We will not be take responsibility why the figures has to delay because at the day we pass it, they suppose to have gone ahead constitute the committee then have a figure, because it doesn’t take rocket science to have figures of what we should really give So I believe that that one is something that will soon as possible.”
The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling socio-economic challenges and evolving solutions to emerging threats.
“I therefore make no excuses as this Government of APC is determined and committed to tackling headlong all socio-economic ills that have troubled our nation and we shall by the grace of God Almighty evolve solutions to emerging threats to our well-being as a nation.
“Recognizing this, the Federal Government has sought and continues to seek to collaborate with policy makers, in this case both employers and workers representatives who make development possible by generating and sustaining the momentum so that we together we can attain enviable heights of progress in our beloved country,” she said.
On his part, the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, represented by Omolola Adegbenga, supported the minister’s stance. He urged Nigerians to show understanding and patience, as the decision to remove fuel subsidies was necessary for national growth and development.
