The SGF said Muslims and Christians should use the Lenten
period and the coming Ramadan to offer prayers for the country and the
president.
“Ours is a complex federation, where the three tiers of
government all have access to federation account and so we if we work together,
we can do more for our people,” he said.
“Things will begin to change as more compressed natural gas
(CNG) buses make their way to the country and as we prepare for a new minimum
wage.”
Last week Tuesday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) held a
nationwide protest against the prevailing economic hardship.
Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the federal government
failed to meet agreements reached with organised labour.
The agreement included the provision of compressed natural
gas (CNG) vehicles as substitutes for petrol-powered vehicles, the cash
transfer programme and an increment of the minimum wage.
In August 2023, the federal government said it would invest
N100 billion between that time and March 2024, to acquire 3,000 units of
20-seater buses powered by CNG.
Another N130 billion was budgeted for CNG conversion and
electric vehicles in December.
However, not much has been heard about the project since
then.
Last month, the senate committee on gas said the federal
government cannot disburse N100 billion earmarked for the CNG buses without the
national assembly’s approval.
The committee’s comment came after it asked Wale Edun,
minister of finance, to provide details on the cash disbursement for the
project.
March was also the month that the federal government said it
would hold talks with labour unions over a new minimum wage.
Earlier, the NLC demanded N794,000 as the new national
minimum wage for workers in the south-west zone.
Ajaero had proposed N1 million.
