Worried by the astronomical increase in the pump price of fuel occasioned by President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of the removal of fuel subsidy, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has resolved to declare a nationwide strike beginning from Wednesday next week
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, who announced this at the end of an emergency meeting of the Union’s National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja, gave the Federal Government till Wednesday to reverse to the old pump price of fuel failing which workers in the country would down tools in protest against the unilateral decision of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
It would be recalled that President Tinubu, in his inaugural speech on May 29, announced that the era of fuel subsidy payment was gone, adding that with the 2023 budget not making provision for fuel subsidy, further payment was no longer justifiable.
The presidential pronouncement led to an almost instant resurgence of fuel queues at filling stations across the country, and the immediate adjustment of the pump price to between N488 to N550 per litre, which had since been rejected by the NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC.
The Organized Labour was of the view that the President should not unilaterally take a decision on fuel subsidy removal without proper consultations and negotiations with the stakeholders.
On Wednesday, a meeting between the Federal Government and Labour on the matter ended in a deadlock.
The NLC demanded that the Federal Government should return to status quo by reversing to the old pump price before resuming negotiations with Labour, insisting that the Federal Government did not enter into any conversation on palliative measures for Nigerians, hence the rejection of the latest announcement.
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