During a meeting between government officials and labour leaders, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, assured the unions of the government’s commitment to accelerating the implementation of the October 2023 16-point agreement reached with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on October 2, 2023.

Michael Oluwagbemi, the Programme Director and Chief Executive of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Initiative, also provided updates on the procurement of CNG buses, confirming that 70% payment had been made for new buses and kits, with some ready for deployment, and plans to commence local assembly for additional vehicles, including tricycles, by March to April 2024.

However, despite the government’s assurances, President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, and Deputy President of TUC, Tommy Okon, maintained their stance on the 14-day ultimatum, while expressing the importance of promptly implementing the agreed-upon terms to address the concerns of Nigerian workers and citizens.