FG adamant as Labour blinks

Daily Trust

12 January 2012

FG adamant as Labour blinks

 . NLC agrees ‘price adjustment’

. Subsidy removal is final — FG

. Riots flare in Minna

. Kaduna protesters defy curfew

Talks between government and labour unions to end the subsidy crisis faltered yesterday as the Federal Government rejected to consider marginal return of subsidy agreed by labour as a condition to end the protests.

Labour unions said they offered to accept “price adjustment”, meaning to restore some subsidy such that petrol price would be reduced but not back to the original N65 per litre, but the Federal Government said subsidy removal was non-negotiable.

At a mediation meeting convened by a House of Representatives committee in Abuja yesterday, NLC president Abdulwaheed Omar said labour offered some concessions by agreeing to “price adjustment” that Nigerians will be comfortable with but the government remained adamant.

“We believe in Nigeria, may be because we down here there is no any other place for us to go and Nigeria has to be good for us to live,” he said. Omar said President Goodluck Jonathan was not in tune with the reality because his aides were not telling him the truth.

Before he spoke, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim who led a delegation to the meeting said government would not negotiate unless labour calls off its strike.