The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) said they are alarmed at the sudden spike in the price of petrol saying the government was pushing the country to the brink.
Recall that Nigerians woke up yesterday to find that the price of petrol shot up from N488 and N500 per litre to as high as N617 per litre.
President of NLC, Mr. Joe Ajaero reacted to the development in a statement saying those in government was treated Nigerians as conquered people.
He described the price hike as “sadistic” and “horrendous” and warned the government to desist from trying the patience of Nigerians.
“We woke up this morning (yesterday) to the news that NNPCL has increased the pump price of premium motor spirit, PMS, from the hitherto draconian N500/litre to N617, despite the suffering and hardship Nigerians have had to go through as a result of the original hike on May 29, 2023, as part of President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural gift to Nigerians.
“An 18 per cent increase in the price of PMS at this time of great difficulties for our people is sadistic and totally unacceptable, horrendous and smacks off a triumphalism by this government against the masses of this country. It looks like a feeling by those in government that the people have become a conquered people that they can treat anyhow without repercussions and this demonstrates why it has taken pleasure in inflicting more and more pain and sorrow on the people.
“We strongly condemn this latest unilateral increase and warn the government to desist from trying the patience of Nigerians. What the government has done is capable of pushing Nigerian people to the edge of the precipice and triggering a raging fire that may overwhelm whatsoever mechanisms the government thinks it has put in place as safeguards.
“It seriously looks like the government is consciously pushing the nation to the brink by this deliberate fanning of the embers of restiveness among the populace. There is no other way to understand what is going on but to assume that the drivers of this hike may be intentionally trying to set our nation on fire by courting or pushing the people to take to the streets in anger.
“If that is their intention, we are afraid that they are almost there and we are worried that this may endanger democracy and put our nation in peril. It is our responsibility to raise the alarm over what those who occupy the levers of power are doing to Nigerians and what the consequences may be.
“NLC is amazed that a government that pledged to allow the dictates of social dialogue to guide its actions and policies will turn around to undermine the same principles of social dialogue which demands that when conversations are undertaken over an issue, the parties stay the action and allow the status quo to be maintained. This is to allow for the process to run smoothly and unhindered.
“We, therefore, do not understand why the government that has initiated a social dialogue around the petroleum product price hike will turn around in the midst of the conversation to increase the price of the same product without recourse to the process already set in motion.
“We perceive that the government may not trust or has lost confidence in its intentions for setting up the Presidential Steering Committee and its five sub-committees. You cannot probate and approbate at the same time.
“It is either government makes up its mind and allows its own very process that it initiated work conclusively to its logical end or comes out clean and tells Nigerians that it never believed in the process.
“Once again, the action of the government is forcing us to constructively review our engagement with it on this vexatious, so-called petroleum subsidy withdrawal. We urge the government to quickly take steps to salvage the lives of Nigerians that are currently nudging towards the periphery of existence. ‘’The first step must be to return to the old price of N540, so that the people can breathe, then take further steps to allow the steering committee it set up to come up with frameworks and workable solutions to resolving the issues around the price hike.
“We shall as soon as possible work in concert with our sister labour centre and other civil society organisations to seek ways to assist government return to sane dialogue and reasonable actions for workers and people of Nigeria.
“Our organs would be called soon to deliberate on this one hike too many, so that necessary actions would be taken to defend the rights and privileges of Nigerian workers and masses,” the statement said in part.
On the distribution of N8000 million to 12 million poor households, the NLC president expressed doubt about the credibility of the data used to determine the poorest of the poor.
“We reiterate that we do not have confidence in how the data for the never changing 12 million poorest households was generated nor do we have confidence in the mechanisms being pursued for the distribution of the cash transfers.
“The history of such transfers especially the school feeding programmes even while the children were at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Trader Moni saga fills Nigerians with trepidation reminding us of the continued heist of our collective resources by those in public office.
“We have continually demanded that this register be made public but, it seems to have become an instrument of the occult shrouded in mystery and wielded by the grandmasters whenever opportunities like this present themselves,” he added.
For its part, the TUC accused the federal government of acting in bad faith.
The vice president of the union, Mr. Tommy Etim, said the country was now headed towards economic chaos.
“We are entering one chance. It is unfortunate that the government is insensitive to the plight of the commoners and the poorest of the poor. You can see that fuel which is essential to the movement of goods and services, including the informal businesses, have continued to fluctuate in price.
“For NNPC to wake up and increase the fuel price again, you need to ask what the increase is all about? Since they claimed that subsidy has been removed, why is the NNPC still regulating prices of fuel?
“The presidential committee that is considering palliatives is still meeting. As I speak to you, the sub-committees have not even met at all; I know this because I am a member of one.
“We have not concluded that; no template yet for implementation of proposals to be raised; but all that we are seeing is Tinubu going to the national assembly, talking about distribution of N8, 000 to 12 million households. What is the credibility of the social register?
“Nigeria is undergoing dimensional poverty and with the inflation rate, we are praying that we will not be like Zimbabwe. Look at the naira; this calls for urgent attention,” he said.
Meanwhile, Etim said workers salaries had not been increased and doubted the sincerity of the government in the ongoing negotiation.
“When Tinubu came in we were optimistic and we felt that he started well but he has started to deviate. He needs to remember the poorest of the poor who voted him into office.
“Look at the prices of food. Garri is now a luxury. People can’t afford garri again. Government has refused to think outside the box. At this point, we are seriously doubting if the proposal of the committee will be implemented,” he added.
Similarly, the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) opposed the upward review of the pump price of petrol describing it as “quite unfortunate and worrisome.”
NECA also has kicked against the upward adjustment of the petrol pump price from N500 to N617.
The director general of NECA, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said Nigerians are facing challenges amid rising inflation that has already rubbished consumers’ disposable income.
“The petrol price going up adds to the burden that not only Nigerians are facing but also the organised businesses. Once the disposable income goes down the ability of average Nigerians to purchase is impaired. And once they cannot purchase, businesses cannot produce or cannot sell what they have produced.
“It is a worrisome trend and I want to call on the government to take a dispassionate look at all these issues. We will reiterate our position that government should not kill those that it is trying to save.
“We are kicking against the price. We cannot continue to be saying that Nigerians should sacrifice, when we are not seeing corresponding sacrificial activities on the side of government.
“We are against this new price adjustment. Let the market take the lead, that is the expectation and not the ‘deregulated regulation’ that we are currently seeing. It is a bit confusing and businesses and Nigerians need clarity on the direction that we are actually going,” he said.
