NLC TO EMBARK ON NATIONWIDE STRIKE OVER REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY

There are strong indications that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) might have considered the option of protest over the adoption of price modulation of pump price of fuel. The NLC was said to have started consultations with its civil society allies ahead of the planned protest.

The Guardian reported that the Trade Union Congress  may have showed interest to join the NLC in the protests.

The push for the protest, it was learnt, will be agreed upon during the National Executive Council (NE C) meeting of the NLC. The NLC president, Ayuba Wabba, in his New Year message had said that the initial reduction of 50 kobo on the litre of petrol was a trick deployed to introduce deregulation policy through the back door.

Wabba said:

What we are against is the IMF-inspired fuel price deregulation. The current 50 kobo reduction in fuel price is obviously a gimmick. The pathway of international financial institutions, which the current fuel subsidy removal act is taking will lead to increases in fuel pump price and attendant worsening of the hardships of poor working people.

The NLC boss called on the federal government to be more creative towards expanding the refining capacity by building decentralized modular refineries.

We are against the corrupt enrichment of a few that has gone with scams in the name of fuel subsidy. But it does not have to be taken as given that corruption in oil sector cannot be tamed. Equally, while we commend efforts at getting the present refineries capacity utilization levels increased, we call on the federal government to be more creative for us to ably expand refining capacity by building decentralized modular refineries. The State of Texas alone in the United States of America has 26 refineries with a capacity of refining 4.72 million barrels per day. As a national priority, we must work to establish without any further dragging of our feet, modern refineries that will provide 100% of our national needs

 Wabba said.

The NLC further stated that its relationship with state governments may not be rosy in the new year if the non-payment of pension at state level is not taken seriously by the governors, saying:

 One of the legacies of the misrule of the preceding years is the incidence of irregular and non-payment of payments of our retired civil servants and senior citizens. While salaries were been owed for up to nine months, the situation of the pensioners were worse as many states were in arrears of pension payment for between 12 months or more.