The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said on Tuesday that its planned nationwide protest against the recent hike in the price of petrol and the increase in electricity tariff will go on as planned on Sept. 28.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, stated this while addressing newsmen at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the NLC on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said “the NEC after its extensive deliberations, resolved to reject the hike in electricity tariff by almost 100 per cent and also reject the fuel price increased in the name of deregulation.
“This decision, along side other decisions of the government including the increase of VAT by 7.5 per cent, other numerous charged by commercial banks on depositors, without any explanation will further impoverish Nigerian workers and citizenry, including their families.
“Therefore, this is coming in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and this is not only “ill timed’’ but it is also counter productive, ” he said.
According to him, NEC also observed that the privatisation of the power sector seven years ago had not yielded any positive result.
Recalling that the entire sector was sold at about N400 billion, he disclosed that the Federal Government has in the last four years pumped in N1.53 trillion over and above the amount that was used to sell “those important assets.”
Wabba said that, “NEC came to the conclusion that the entire privatisation process has failed and the electricity hike, is a continuous process of exploitation of Nigerians.”
He noted that the issue of the three refineries and increase in the pump price of petroleum had been on constant debate for more than three decades and that the arguments were still the same.
According to him, irrespective of whatever name the government gives its policy thrust in the oil sector, this is, whether it is in the name of deregulation or subsidiary removal; the fuel price hike has further eroded the gains of the N30, 000 National Minimum Wage, as it has spiral effects.
“The spiral effects include, high cost of goods and services and reductions in the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerians.”
Wabba stated that NEC’s position on deregulations that it will be a continuous exploitation if it is import driven.
READ ALSO: Economic Recovery: CBN Reduces Monetary Policy Rate
He said NEC demanded that three refineries in the country should be made to work optimally, to be beneficial to Nigerians.
The NLC president said that NEC concluded that “government has no business in doing business.”
He said that the primary purpose of governance was about the security and welfare of the Nigerian people.
“In the light of all of this, NEC decided to endorse the two- weeks ultimatum given to the Federal Government to try to reverse those obnoxious decisions and also pronounced that the action proposed by the CWC is hereby endorsed by the NEC.
“That Sept. 28 will be a date that those actions will be challenged by Nigerian workers, our civil society allies and also other Labour centres,” he said.
