The Nigeria Labor Congress has faulted the Federal Government's proposed
Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE), saying they will
not be able to implement the projects listed as parts of it.
This was part of the outcomes of the interactive session between the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Presidency on Tuesday 20 December, 2011.
The session was addressed by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo, Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Petroleum Minister Mrs. Dieziani Allison-Madueke.
The Presidency had claimed that the actual cost of petrol supply is N139 per litre and admitted that all Nigerians benefit from fuel subsidy but claimed that the rich benefit more. It also claimed that the current N65 per litre price was so cheap that it encourages smuggling of PMS across the country’s borders.
It also presented a document, Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE) under which it listed amongst other projects, the construction or completion of eight major roads and two bridges, provision of healthcare for 3million pregnant women, six railway projects, youth employment, mass transit, 19 irrigation projects, rural and urban water supply.
Impossible programme
In its response, the Labour Movement noted that out of the projected N1.134 trillion to be saved from the subsidy removal, the Local Government allocation is N202.23 billion, States N411.03 billion and the Federal Government N478.49 billion and concluded that even if the Federal Government alone were to spend the entire N1.134 trillion, it cannot execute even a fifth of the projects it had listed.
It noted that the Presidency’s presentation was simply a repetition of the presentations made by the Babangida and Abacha regimes and the Obasanjo administration, and that none of those promises were kept.
President Jonathan in rounding up the session explained that the idea of inviting Labour was not to make it take a decision either in favour or against fuel subsidy removal but to present the government’s position and encourage mutually beneficial discussions. He invited Labour to present its counter statistics and analysis of the Government documents for discussions on a future date.
This was part of the outcomes of the interactive session between the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress and the Presidency on Tuesday 20 December, 2011.
The session was addressed by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo, Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Petroleum Minister Mrs. Dieziani Allison-Madueke.
The Presidency had claimed that the actual cost of petrol supply is N139 per litre and admitted that all Nigerians benefit from fuel subsidy but claimed that the rich benefit more. It also claimed that the current N65 per litre price was so cheap that it encourages smuggling of PMS across the country’s borders.
It also presented a document, Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE) under which it listed amongst other projects, the construction or completion of eight major roads and two bridges, provision of healthcare for 3million pregnant women, six railway projects, youth employment, mass transit, 19 irrigation projects, rural and urban water supply.
Impossible programme
In its response, the Labour Movement noted that out of the projected N1.134 trillion to be saved from the subsidy removal, the Local Government allocation is N202.23 billion, States N411.03 billion and the Federal Government N478.49 billion and concluded that even if the Federal Government alone were to spend the entire N1.134 trillion, it cannot execute even a fifth of the projects it had listed.
It noted that the Presidency’s presentation was simply a repetition of the presentations made by the Babangida and Abacha regimes and the Obasanjo administration, and that none of those promises were kept.
President Jonathan in rounding up the session explained that the idea of inviting Labour was not to make it take a decision either in favour or against fuel subsidy removal but to present the government’s position and encourage mutually beneficial discussions. He invited Labour to present its counter statistics and analysis of the Government documents for discussions on a future date.
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