Sunday Ojeme 
World Bank on glass building. Mirrored sky and city modern facade. Global capital, business, finance, economy, banking and money concept 3D rendering animation.
The leadership of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has cautioned the Federal Government against adopting all the policy suggestions of the World Bank. Giving the advice in Lagos, the President, ASCSN, Comrade Tommy Okon, said the global lender was only interested in the country devaluing its currency.
Okon, who decried Federal Government’s recent policies that are hitting hard on Nigerian workers, also offered several suggestions to the government on how to deal with the effects of the petroleum subsidy removal on the people. Speaking on the policies of tye global lender, he said government’s reliance on the directives would not do good to Nigeria’s economy and the people, as the bank is not interested in the growth of the country’s economy, but rather for Nigeria to continue to devalue its currency, which is to the detriment of the people.
He accused the Bretton Woods institution of indirectly controlling Nigeria’s economy to its own advantage. On the removal of the subsidy, Okon urged the Federal Government to purchase enough mass transit buses and distribute to all the states, which in turn will distribute to the local governments. According to him, this is the best approach to the high cost of transportation as a result of the subsidy removal.
Within six months everything will calm down and the transport fares will be reduced, which will also affect the high costs of goods and services. Dr. Okon, a member of the committee set up by the government to look at the pallia- tive measures, also called on the government to pay other allowances that are not taxable that would make the income of workers to be meaningful. He said the government could give workers palliative allowance among others.
Advising the government to invest in infrastructure that can sustain the economy, and empower the people, he pointed out that the issue of national minimum wage was a constitutional matter.
He also said that Labour was unhappy that the government did not wait for the report of the committee set up to work out the palliative to cushion the effects of subsidy removal, stressing that the government failed to wait for the report before the increases on petroleum prices The labour leaders also challenged members of the Legislative arm of government to be alive to their responsibilities as representatives of the people and refuse to be rubber stamp to everything that comes from the Executive.
He advised them to always dissect proposals from the President as not all issues should be given automatic approval. He, however, called on workers to believe in Labour unions as they would continue to work in their interest, adding that though this is a trying period for workers and Nigerians, labour leaders would not abandon their responsibilities to see that they are comfortable.
