The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on the federal government to fulfil its promise of reopening the old Port Harcourt Refinery to alleviate the ongoing fuel scarcity, which has led to long queues at petrol stations in Abuja and neighboring states.
TUC President, Festus Osifo, expressed concern over the persisting hardship faced by Nigerians due to economic policies and urged the government to restore wage awards to workers and provide palliatives to affected states.
While acknowledging states like Lagos, Oyo, and Kaduna for their efforts in providing relief measures, Osifo criticized the delay in rehabilitating local refineries, attributing the fuel scarcity to this failure.
Despite recent incentives to encourage oil and gas production, Osifo emphasized the urgency of restarting the old Port Harcourt Refinery to mitigate the fuel shortage.
Regarding the negotiation of a new minimum wage, Osifo highlighted the slow progress and joint efforts by TUC and NLC to push for a minimum wage of N615,000. He stressed the need for expedited negotiations to meet the expectations of workers.
Osifo also criticized the recent hike in electricity tariffs for band A customers, citing lack of proper consultation and the prevalence of estimated billing. He called for mass metering and prepaid meters for every household to ensure fair billing practices.
The TUC’s stance underscores the pressing need for government action to address fuel scarcity and ensure fair labor practices and electricity tariffs for all Nigerians.