By Bilesanmi Abayomi
Abuja – The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has emphasized the need for the Nigerian government to implement palliative measures to alleviate the impact of subsidy removal on workers. The Director-General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, made this call during a visit from a delegation led by the Director-General of the Michael Imodu National Institute for Labour Studies, Dr Issa Aremu.
While acknowledging the necessity of subsidy removal, Prof. Suleiman expressed concern for the Nigerian labor force, who would likely bear the brunt of this decision. He recognized that despite the inevitability of subsidy removal, it would be a difficult and painful adjustment for Nigerians. In light of this, he stressed the importance of the government implementing palliative measures to mitigate the potential adverse effects on workers.
“I want to use this opportunity to advise the new government under President Bola Tinubu to come up with a palliative to cushion the effects,” Prof. Suleiman stated.
Dr. Aremu, in his remarks, urged organized labor and trade unions to engage in dialogue with the government regarding the subsidy removal. He emphasized the need for social dialogue as a means to manage the transition effectively and address concerns related to workers’ welfare.
“We have a policy pronouncement on fuel subsidy, and there is a consensus that it cannot be business as usual. The way to manage it is through social dialogue. I call on my colleagues in the trade union movement and organized labor to engage in dialogue and utilize the resources of our institute to facilitate the process,” Dr. Aremu emphasized.