NLC shelves planned nationwide protests over petrol subsidy removal
Barely hours after it declared intention to go ahead with its planned mass protests across the country over the removal of petrol subsidy by the Federal Government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has now shelved the mass action.
NLC, Tuesday, said it has suspended the planned rally earlier slated to commence from January 27, 2022, declared to force the Federal Government to rescind its planned removal of petrol subsidy.
However, despite the Federal Government announcing suspension of the subsidy removal, Monday, the labour group, earlier Tuesday, insisted on going ahead with the rallies, on the grounds that Federal Government ‘didn’t say they have abolished it (subsidy),’ according to Deputy President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, while featuring on Channels Television‘s Sunrise Daily, Tuesday.
“NLC is still standing on its position. The Federal Government didn’t say they have abolished it, they are postponing the evil day.
“What we are doing is sensitisation of Nigerians on this fuel subsidy removal or so-called increase in the pump price of petroleum products.
“The NLC is sensitising Nigerians that this is not sustainable; that the idea of fuel subsidy is a hoax which they are using to inflict pains on Nigerians,” he said.
It would be recalled that both the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, had confirmed Federal Government’s decision to suspend the planned removal of petrol subsidy which was scheduled to set in by the third quarter of this year.
According to the finance minister, government would make provisions for fuel subsidy beyond its initial June deadline in the 2022 budget.
