The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has ordered its members and affiliates to begin nationwide protests and service withdrawals next Wednesday if the federal government fails to force the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) to reverse the pump price increase.
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) rejected the strike option and pledged to negotiate with the administration over fuel subsidy withdrawal.
President Bola Tinubu abolished fuel subsidies in his May 29 inaugural address. “Subsidy is gone,” Tinubu stated.
On May 31, the NNPCL announced new pump pricing, with Borno State having the highest at N540 per litre. Some government authorities met with NLC leaders to discuss the issues, but nothing was accomplished.
After a three-hour emergency meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja yesterday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) rejected the petrol price increase and demanded a full investigation of the fuel subsidy regime to uncover past fraud.
After the NEC meeting, Nigerian Labour Congress president Joe Ajaero warned journalists that the Congress would organise workers countrywide to force NNPCL “to withdraw the N540 per litre illegal fuel price template.”
Ajaero read the NEC resolution: “Whereas the NNPC has refused to tell us the landing cost of imported PMS up to this point, and whereas the NNPC has refused to disclose the beneficiaries of the subsidy payments, the NLC is hereby calling for a proper investigation of the subsidy process to know who the beneficiaries are and the amount involved, and to investigate it thoroughly before it is swept under the rug.”That all moral Nigerians should oppose the subsidy regime’s attempt to conceal its theft.”The NEC advised the NLC leadership to avoid talking with people without portfolios until the government is fully constituted and the people who will deal with labour have mandate and capacity to be in it.
Therefore, the NLC decided that if the NNPC, a private limited liability company that illegally announced the new oil price regime, refuses to reverse itself by Wednesday of the following week so that negotiations can continue, the NLC and all of its affiliates will withdraw their services and begin nationwide protests until the demand is met.As a private enterprise, the NNPC does not monopolise illegal activity. Thus, the NLC NEC orders all state councils and industrial unions to mobilise promptly to ensure action.”
On Monday, President Tinubu said the subsidy would be eliminated and the income used to improve other industries.
The TUC and NLC called Tinubu and the NNPCL’s move a “joke taken too far.” Femi Falana, SAN, presented on subsidy abolition at the NLC NEC emergency meeting in Abuja.
He called NNPCL’s new petrol pump prices illegal. Falana vowed to challenge the NNPCL’s unlawful action in court.
Ajaero demanded a public probe into the federal government’s controversial petroleum subsidy programme before Falana’s presentation.
The NLC president said, “Nigeria has always been confronted with the vicious circle of subsidy withdrawal or non-removal, but no one has ever taken the time to examine its meaning and operation.”Every Nigerian government claims to remove subsidy, which raises fuel prices. On the morning of Tinubu’s inauguration, the subsidy was withdrawn without a cabinet or consultation with the National Assembly.The budget stated that the programme will cease in June. Budgetary vehemence or adjustment is unknown. We discovered NNPCL, a private corporation, raised fuel prices. We doubt a limited liability firm should decide oil pricing.Since the subsidy issue has not been fully probed throughout the years, impunity is poor. Covering up fraud by closing that chapter.”
Ajaero added that the NEC convened an emergency meeting to allow the congress to investigate the fuel subsidy issue and discover how it was disbursed, who collected it, and how.”We are paying a subsidy, but if the report we are receiving about the product’s landing cost is accurate, then NNPCL is making more than 100% profit on imported PMS,” he stated.
The TUC decided to keep talking to the federal government’s negotiation team after petrol prices rose on Friday.
The TUC announced at its emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja yesterday that it would give the government till Sunday to react to its demands before taking further action.
After the NEC meeting, TUC president Festus Osifoh told the media that members considered the federal government’s proposed palliatives and outlined their primary requests for the authorities.
Osifoh stated, “Congress was unhappy with the government’s unilateral decision to eliminate the fuel subsidy.” They didn’t involve organised labour, as expected.We informed them that the smallest fraction of our ideas will not be presented at this time, but that we will confer with our institutions and seek mandates for the suggestions we can submit.This contributes to NEC. The NEC told us to return to that meeting and deliver our demand to the government.Our next move depends on how the government reacts to our request. We’ll wait till Sunday’s government meeting. After the TUC presents its requests at the meeting, their response will determine our future move.”