-By Victoria Opeyemi
Stakeholders’ meeting involving the Federal Government and organised labour with regards to fuel increase and electricity tariff resulting to Technical Committees met recently. The petrol Technical Committee led by Omojo Anyaoku recommended exchange rate for importers that continued importation of petrol is responsible for frequent price regime.
The Secretary of the Federal Government, Boss Mustapher, Minister of Labour, Chris Ngege and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva assured organised labour of government commitment to the implementation of policies that will improve lives of the masses.
Also, the Technical Committee for electricity has reach advance stage of its assignment by blaming inadequate energy supplies as responsible for continuous tariff reviews. It requested three weeks to study the Technical Committee report and promises to ensure that workers and the citizens do not continue to pay exorbitant charges on electricity tariff.
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) was represented in the stakeholders meeting with the government by President of NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and his counterpart at the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Quadri Olalere.
A recommendation has also been made that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), must begin to collect charges in local currency rather in foreign currencies.
In a related development, an effort to develop Nigeria’s economy for sustainable development through the mining sector, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has embarked on development for artisanal and small-scale mining cluster for selected minerals throughout the six geo-political zones across the country.
The Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Uche Oga disclosed during a handing over ceremony of landed properties donated by Cross Rivers State government on the establishment for artisanal processing cluster for the South-south zone in Calabar.
The development of artisanal and small scale mineral processing plant project is an initiative of the Federal Government swift response to the economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged the world.
The Minister opined that President Mohammadu Buhari through implementation of Nigerian economic sustainability plan which entails the development of artisanal and small scale mineral processing clusters in order to harness revenue from mineral sector.
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