The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday demanded an immediate reversal of the hike in fuel price announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), saying the hike will further deepen poverty and more jobs would be lost with multidimensional negative effects.
Fairview Africa reported how NNPCL announced fresh increase in price of fuel on Wednesday from N898 to over N1030.
Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in a statement issued on Wednesday called on the government to ‘immediately’ reverse the hike, it noted that previous increases did not produce any good results, adding that people only got poorer.
He said, “We are dismayed by the latest increase in the pump price of petrol. It looks like the only thing this government is known for is increase in the pump price of petrol without commensurate capacity of Nigerians or mitigatory measures.
“Even following the logic of market forces, we find it an aberration that a private company (NNPCL) is the one fixing prices and projecting itself as a hegemonic monopoly.
“We challenge the government to go to the drawing board and present us with a blueprint for an inclusive economic growth and national development instead of this spasmodic ad hocism and palliative policy.
“It needs no stating the fact that the latest wave of increase has grossly altered the calculations of Nigerians once again at a time they were reluctantly coming to terms with their new realities.
“In light of this, we urge the government to immediately reverse this rate hike as previous increases did not produce any good result. People only got poorer.
He said, “We are dismayed by the latest increase in the pump price of petrol. It looks like the only thing this government is known for is increase in the pump price of petrol without commensurate capacity of Nigerians or mitigatory measures.
“But more fundamentally, the government should be bold enough to tell Nigerians in advance the destination it wants to take the country.”
Ajaero said, “Nigerians are expecting the labour movement to react to this hike. But the issue at stake is more than labour movement… What I think Nigerians should do is to mobilise and react as a collective.”
