The Federal Government will reconsider the 500 per cent tariff on local beverages, Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, has said.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Press in the ministry, Samuel Olowokere, in Abuja yesterday, Ngige disclosed this when members of the National Union of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Joint Employers and Workers Association visited him in his office on a Save Our Soul (SOS) mission.

According to the minister, the government will review the newly introduced 500 per cent excise duty on locally produced alcoholic beverages.

“This will save the sector from imminent collapse and forestall the consequent loss of about two hundred thousand jobs.

“You have written to the federal government through me that the increase in excise duty on alcohol and beverages will create job losses.

“Because once you add a new cost and pass it on, there will be consumer resistance, resulting in low patronage.

“Whereas the products coming from overseas that are being smuggled in which are cheap will take over the market. It is a statement of fact.

“I have passed your complaints and luckily we have a listening president who wants the good of all Nigerians. The president will definitely ask the Minister of Finance and the economic management team to review the tariff, ” he said.

Mr Ngige said Nigeria cannot afford to create poverty and job losses while promoting abundant jobs in other countries.

He said job losses are not part of the present administration and would not support the 500 per cent tariff increase.

He said the Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ELGP) of the federal government was partly tailored towards job creation rather than job losses.

He added that the Executive Order No. one and four were for job creation as well as ensuring that jobs created were done by the locals. He said the cardinal place job creation and protection occupy informed the administration’s fidelity to non-declaration of redundancy in the federal ministries and agencies, hence no retrenchment of workers. (NAN)