Initiative for Peace and Industrial Harmony
ZETO Court, Area 11, Garki, Abuja - Nigeria. Tel: 09 671 4939, ipihnigeria@gmail.com
November 3, 2011
Re: Roundtable on Petroleum Subsidy
The Initiative for Peace and Industrial Harmony organized a Roundtable on Petroleum Subsidy, which held on Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Major stakeholders were invited. They were:
1. Federal Government, represented by
a. Mrs. Deziane Allison-Madueke, Honourable Minister of Petroleum
b. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Honourable Minister of Finance
c. Chief Emeka Wogu, Honourable Minister of Employment, Labour and Productivity
d. Mal. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria
e. Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation
f. Executive Secretary, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency
2. Private Sector, represented by
a. Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association
b. National Association of Road Transport Owners
3. Labour, represented by
a. Nigeria Labour Congress
b. Trade Union Congress
c. National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
d. Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria
e. National Union of Road Transport Workers
4. Civil Society, represented by
a. Centre for Democracy and Development
b. ActionAid International
c. Africa Centre for Leadership and Strategy
d. National Council of Women Society
e. WRAPA
With the exception of National Union of Road Transport Workers and WRAPA, all the invitees from the private sector, labour and civil society were present. Unfortunately, on the side of government only Minister of Labour sent representatives who only observed deliberations.
We are grateful to all the stakeholders for responding to our invitation. Their participation demonstrates a commitment to a negotiated resolution to the petroleum subsidy debate. The contributions of all participants at the roundtable also provided useful insights on the various contending issues and the positions of the various stakeholders – a critical first step towards negotiation.
Though representatives of the various government agencies invited to the roundtable failed to turn up, we have continued our efforts to engage constructively with government and will not relent. Already, we have proposed meetings with the critical agencies to map the way forward.
In order to ensure objectivity in the petroleum subsidy debate, we hereby forward the PPPRA template and other information obtained from the website of the PPPRA (http//www.pppra-nigeria.org/pms.htm). It is important that the debate move beyond simple for or against and be elevated to the level of critical scrutiny of the problem and response with perspectives and alternatives.
As we move ahead in the coming days and weeks, we will continue to engage with all Nigerians for critical inputs to ensure that we get the best deals for Nigeria and Nigerians.
Dr. Timiebi Koripamo-Agary Mal. Salihu Moh. Lukman
Former Perm. Sec. Fed. Min. of Labour Former Snr. Asst. Gen. Sec., NLC
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