Kebbi Gov Heads Committee That’ll Come Up With Modalities For Providing Support For Workers, Vulnerable Citizens As NEC Holds Inaugural Meeting In Abuja
The National Economic Council (NEC) held its inaugural meeting in Abuja on Thursday with recommendations that support should be provided for government employees and vulnerable citizens to ease things for them sequel to removal of fuel subsidy .
Team@orientactualmags.com learned Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state disclosed this on Thursday after the inaugural NEC meeting that lasted for more than five and a half hours which was held at the Presidential Villa and was presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
He said the council considered recommendations from the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission to pay N702 billion as cost of living allowance to civil servants as part of the intervention plans.
The Bauchi state governor also disclosed that a committee has been set up to within two weeks come up with the modalities for organizing and distributing what would be made available to support the vulnerable citizens.
The committee has Governor Nasiru Idris of Kebbi state as chairman; and governors of Anambra , Benue , Kaduna , Bauchi , Cross River and Oyo states as members.
It was however noted that the input of the committee earlier set up and headed by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for this purpose would not be discarded but integrated into the ongoing process.
Mohammed, who was joined by four other governors: Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Alex Otti (Abia) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi), also said the interventions included a recommended sum, ranging from N23.5bn to N45bn per month, as petroleum allowance for civil servants.
He further disclosed that the council also discussed the possibility of obtaining funds from the World Bank and London partners to implement the programme of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles in the country as part of measures to bring down the price of fuel.
‘Various scenarios were given by the presenter on the issue of national salaries, income and wages, and this N702 billion plus was suggested as an allowance for the cost of living adjustment allowance by the organized Labour and the other one is a petroleum allowance.
The governor of Ogun has told you that there are other allowances here and there, but with regard to Labour, these are some of the few allowances that they have suggested, and that of petroleum, they said will range from N23.5 billion to N45 billion per month, depending on what is in the kitty for distribution or for sharing.
So, the N702 billion is a suggested sum for Labour to cushion the effect on workers on a new allowance that will be tagged cost of living adjustment allowance’ he said.
Also speaking, Governor Dapo Abiosun disclosed that the oil sector represented by the officials of DAPPMAN made suggestions on how to reduce the price of petrol to the Council noting that the body has urged the government to reduce the taxes being collected by the NPA, NIMASA and other government agencies on petroleum products.
The governor added that the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, also reported that the company has noticed that with the subsidy removal, the cost of fuel in the neighbouring countries had jumped up.
‘We decided that we would have a subcommittee of NEC on oil and gas that will look at the issues that have been brought to the fore or by the marketers, by the regulator – NNPC – to ensure that we harmonize report back to NEC and if NEC adopts it we will present it to Mr President’ he said.
Abiodun also submitted that petrol price would reduce when the local refineries begin to work at full capacity-Team@orientactualmags.com
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