APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The Nigeria Labour Congess (NLC) has declared a nationwide strike from next Wednesday to protest the removal of petrol subsidy by the Nigerian government.
The President of the NLC, Mr. Joe Ajaero, said after an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja that the Union took the decision due to the fuel shortages across the country, following President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech in which he pronounced the removal of petrol subsidy.
Tinubu had during his inauguration on Monday announced that the 2023 budget made no provisions for fuel subsidy and that the payment was no longer justifiable.
Ajaero stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has up until Wednesday next week to revert to the old price of petrol and that failure of the Government to meet the ultimatum would attract an indefinite protest across the country.
It will be recalled that the announcement of the removal of subsidy on Monday led to hoarding of petrol by marketers and the return of long queues at petrol stations and the hike in price of the commodity from N195 per litre to N511 a litre by the NNPC Ltd.
However, the meeting between the new administration and the Organised Labour led by the NLC to resolve the impasse, but it was deadlocked.
But the NLC President had in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja urged the Nigerian Government to immediately instruct the NNPCL to withdraw the just released pricing template to allow for free flow of discussions by the parties.
Ajaero said that the new pricing template was vexatious, an ambush and might scuttle its ongoing dialogue with the government.
According to Ajaero, government cannot in one breathe be talking about deregulation and at the same time fixing the prices of petroleum products.
“We are worried that the Government through the NNPC despite the ongoing meeting of stakeholders in the Oil and Gas sector to manage the unilateral.
“But unfortunate announcement by the President to withdraw subsidy on petroleum products, went ahead this morning to announce a new regime of prices under a new pricing template.
“This is an ambush and runs against the spirit and principles of Social Dialogue which remains the best platform available for the resolution of all the issues arising out of the petroleum Down-stream sector.
“This negates the spirit of allowing the operation of the free market unless the government has, as usual, usurped, captured or become market forces.
“It is therefore unacceptable and we seriously condemn it. Good faith negotiation is key to reaching agreement,” he said.
The NLC president warned that Nigerians would not accept any manipulation of any kind from any of the parties, especially from the representatives of the government.
GIK/APA
NLC declares nationwide strike next week over petrol subsidy removal
