The National Economic Council (NEC) has thrown its weight behind the proposed cost-of-living allowance for civil servants as one of the palliatives to cushion the effects of the removal of payment of subsidy on petrol.
The vice president, Kashim Shettima who disclosed this said it was part of resolutions reached on Thursday at the fourth meeting of the council chaired by him at the State House Executive Council Chambers, Abuja.
Shettima in a press release signed by his spokesperson, Olusola Abiola also said that NEC has backed the planned distribution of grains and fertilizer to Nigerians by the Federal Government (FG) through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to mitigate the impact of the removal of petrol subsidy on the citizens.
Abiola added that the decision was taken after a presentation by the NEC Adhoc Committee on cushioning the effect of petrol subsidy removal was made by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo.
Speaking after deliberations on the presentation which also include the endorsement of the deployment of CNG-powered vehicles for public transportation, Shettima read the resolutions of the Council.
“we will also pursue vigorously, the mass deployment of CNG-powered vehicles and establishment of autogas conversion plants/kits in all States in the short-term and deployment of electric buses and cars with charging infrastructure across the country,” the vice president was quoted as saying.
“The meeting also resolved to support enhanced engagements between State Governors and the leadership of the labour unions across the States and proposed the provision of the cost-of-living allowances to be paid to civil servants in both the State and Federal Civil Services.
“The Council agreed to support federal Government’s efforts to scale up infrastructure especially to give attention to fixing dilapidated highway roads across the country.”
Meanwhile, the spokesman for the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council, Bayo Onanuga has urged Nigerians to wait patiently for the palliatives promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Onanuga said this in the wake of the new pump price of fuel coupled with the removal of payment of subsidy on petrol which has further worsened the sufferings of the masses and poor Nigerians.
“In this season of high fuel price, I want to plead with our people to exercise some patience. We are all jointly experiencing the pain,” Onanuga tweeted.
The spokesman for the Tinubu/Shettima campaign during the 2023 presidential election also pleaded with Nigerians to stop the intemperate attacks against the new government.
The country is currently going through a lot with Nigerians groaning over the increase in the price of petrol which has in turn led to a higher level of poverty among the people.
President Tinubu during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, said that subsidy on petrol is “gone” after which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) set the new prices per litre across the states of the federation.
There have also been knocks from different quarters since findings showed that the pump price of fuel surged to N617 per litre in the federal capital territory (FCT), Abuja and N568 in Lagos on Tuesday.
