The claims made by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) have been disproved by the House of Representatives. The NLC claimed that legislators had received the sum of N100 million from the Federal Government as palliatives to soften the consequences of the elimination of the fuel subsidy.
In a statement that was released on Wednesday and authored by the NLC’s National Assistant Secretary, Christopher Onyeka, the NLC claimed that the sum in question was provided to members of the National Assembly by the government.
The claim that the government should not have shared a bag of rice with a dozen residents while giving a palliative payment of N100 million to each member of the National Assembly was one of the points that the workers union made as part of their notice of an indefinite strike.
In response to the claim, however, the chairman of the House committee that oversees media and public affairs, Akin Rotimi, characterised it as not only being without foundation but also lacking in factual truth.
A statement issued by Rotimi on Wednesday evening, noted that the NLC lied in the claims as the allegations were “malicious, irresponsible, and in bad faith”.
“The House of Representatives notes with concern news reports across multiple newspapers, electronic, and online media, of a statement credited to the National Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Christopher Onyeka,” the statement reads.
“First, we state categorically that Mr Onyeka lied in his claim that National Assembly members were given N100m as palliatives.
“For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did members of the House of Representatives receive any money from the executive arm as palliatives. We, therefore, consider this statement as malicious, irresponsible, and in bad faith.
“We consider it irresponsible and most unfortunate that Mr Onyeka would misrepresent facts in a bid to lend credence to otherwise valid demands of the NLC while seeking to denigrate the National Assembly and inciting the public against the institution.
“Accordingly, the House of Representatives demands an immediate retraction of this lie and a public apology from the Nigeria Labour Congress.
“We wish to remind the NLC and indeed all Nigerians that in less than 100 days in the tenure of the 10th Assembly, we have demonstrated our commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers and all Nigerians.”