As Nigerians grapple with the aftershocks of the fuel subsidy removal, President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Economic Council to come up with inputs on palliatives and the minimum wage review as part of measures to cushion the pain of subsidy removal.

This was as the Trade Union Congress said it was expecting the Federal Government to provide feedback on its demand for N200,000 minimum wage by June 19.

Speaking during a meeting with members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, led by its Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State in Abuja on Wednesday, Tinubu directed NEC led by Vice President Kashim Shettima to mobilise various interventions to cushion the hardship faced by the most vulnerable Nigerians.

Besides the Vice-President, the NEC comprises 36 state governors, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and other co-opted government officials.

The President described the level of impoverishment in the country as “unacceptable,” urging state governors to collaborate with the Federal Government to tackle poverty nationwide.

“We can see the effects of poverty on the faces of our people. Poverty is not hereditary, it is from society. Our position is to eliminate poverty. Set aside partisan politics, we are here to deliberate about Nigeria and nation-building.

“We have managed ourselves very well to have a democracy. We have campaigned and arrived at our present destination. We must work for our people.

President Tinubu advised the political leaders to downplay their differences and jointly focus on alleviating the sufferings and pains of the people, a statement signed by the State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, noted.

Punch / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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