- Reads Riot Acts
By Abiola Olawale
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the federal government of betrayal of trust following the hike in the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as fuel.
The union, in a statement issued by its National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been allegedly breaking promises agreed on during the negotiations for a new minimum wage.
According to Ajaero, the Federal Government and organised labour agreed that fuel prices would not be increased during negotiations for the minimum wage.
He said the move by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to adjust the pump price per litre of petrol to N855 across its filling stations came as a surprise.
The statement reads in part: “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as the national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even though we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.
“We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.
“But here we are, barely one month after and with the government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain.
“It is both traumatic and nightmarish. Yet, when we told the government that its approach to resolving the fuel subsidy contradictions was patently faulty and would not last, its front row cheerleaders sneered at us, saying we did not understand basic economics.”
The Union also demanded the immediate reversal of the latest increase in the pump of PMS across the country; the release of all those incarcerated or being prosecuted on the assumption of having participated in the recent protests; halt of alleged indiscriminate arrest and detention of citizens on trumped up charges; reversal of 250% tariff hike in electricity; stop to the hijack of the duties of the Ministry of Labour and Employment;
Ajaero also declared that the NLC will, in the coming days, summon appropriate organs of the Congress to make appropriate decisions, which will be made public.
