NLC demands immediate reversal of petrol price hike,set to me
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded an immediate reversal of the hike in fuel price announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), saying the hike has worsened the misery of Nigerians.
Amid the lingering fuel scarcity in the country, the NNPCL increased the pump price of petrol from ₦568 to ₦855, ₦897 (depending on the location per litre).
Condemning the move in a statement, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, on Tuesday accused the Federal Government of betraying labour movement.
Ajaero said, “We demand the immediate reversal of the latest increase in the pump of PMS across the country, release of all those incarcerated or being prosecuted on the assumption of having participated in the recent protests.
“Halt the indiscriminate arrest and detention of citizens on trumped up charges, reversal of the 250% tariff hike in electricity, stop to the hijack of the duties of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“End to policies that engender hunger and insecurity, Halt to government’s culture of terror, fear and lying. We are guided by our belief in our country and the need to secure and sustain its sovereignty, integrity and welfare of the people.”
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said: “The NEC rejects the hidden plan to increase the price of Petrol, PMS, and calls on all members of the NLC and the broader Nigerian public to remain vigilant and prepared to defend our rights and freedoms. The signs are ominous and the intentions are sinister as the State may be preparing to further increase the suffering of Nigerian workers and peoples. The Labour movement stands as the voice of the Nigerian people, and we will not relent in our efforts to uphold justice, fairness, and the rule of law.
“NEC-in-session therefore further demands the immediate release of all citizens from Prison who were protesting against hardship and hunger in Nigeria during the #EndBadGovernance protest.
“We also demand immediate reversal of the clandestine increase in the price of petrol. NEC–in-session demands a reversal of the hike in electricity tariff as we had originally demanded. We equally demand a halt to the indiscriminate arrests of citizens around the country for holding dissenting opinions.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress remains committed to defending the rights and interests of Nigerian workers and the broader society. We will continue to stand firm against any attempts to undermine the Labour movement or infringe upon the rights of our leaders and members. We urge our Civil Society allies to continue increasing their support as we mobilise to nip the present incipient danger and undemocratic actions against our nation in the bud. A people united, can never be defeated! Workers united, can never be defeated.”
Oil marketers are awaiting the price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, following the announcement by the plant that only the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited will lift the product from the refinery at the moment.
PMS was officially launched on Tuesday by the $20bn plant located in Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos. The President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, announced that the 650,000-capacity oil refinery had commenced petrol production.
But dealers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria stated that they had yet to receive any notice on the price of petrol from the refinery.
“We have not received any notice about its PMS price because he categorically stated that the NNPC is the sole off-taker of the product, which to us came as a surprise,” National Publicity Secretary of IPMAN, Ukadike Chinedu, stated.
He added, “We had expected Dangote to open up the market for proper competition. This shows that all these while the NNPC has been waiting for Dangote to release products, as it had reduced PMS importation.
“However, we are still waiting for them to tell us the price, but this, of course, will have its effect on the pricing of the product considering the fact that the cost of the commodity has increased at NNPC retail stations.”
There are strong indications that the price of petrol may hit N1,200/litre following the decision of NNPC to raise the pump price at its stations on Tuesday.
This is even as the Dangote oil refinery announced its determination to supply 25 million litres of PMS daily in September.
