Fuel price hike will impoverish Nigerians – TUC

The Trade Union Congress has condemned the federal government for the hike in fuel price and electricity tariff, calling it to resolve to ‘further impoverish Nigerians’.

In a press release signed by its President, Quadri Olaleye, and Secretary-General, Musa-Lawal Ozigi, the union expressed shock at the price hike, regardless of understanding reached at the last meeting between the organised labour and the Federal Government.

The statement read, “The TUC is surprised that despite the effort made by the Organised Labour in the last meeting with the Federal Government on the hike in fuel price and electricity tariff, the latter has resolved to further impoverish Nigerians with the recent increase.

“This is one increase, too many. Indeed, a violation of all understandings we have had with the government.”

The statement recalled that at its meeting with the union, the federal government had appealed for subsidy removal to prevent the economy’s collapse and massive job losses, adding that they had agreed to save the economy and the jobs.

The TUC nonetheless stated that though the federal government had claimed to have deregulated the downstream sector of the oil and gas, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations was still holding on to the monopoly.

It stated, “If the government claims to have deregulated the downstream sector of the oil and gas sector (which of course is subsidy removal), it, therefore, means the independent oil marketers are importing petrol at their own cost.

“Information at our disposal, however, is that no independent marketer is importing fuel, because they cannot access dollars. The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations is still holding on to that monopoly.”

It further said that to make matters worse, it was the NNPC that instructed the new increase and not the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.

The union stated, “What a regime of contradictions! NNPC has become a behemoth. ‘The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we’re underlings’. It seems this fault must be conquered for us to be free.

“From all indications, the government has again reneged on an agreement reached with the organised labour a few weeks ago.”

The TUC stated that in a few days the various committees involving government and the organised labour would brief labour and civil society, adding that the outcome of the meeting would determine its next line of action.