Fuel Subsidy Removal: Ignore Labour's threat, CNPP tells Nigerians

16/05/2016 

 

Nigerians have been urged to ignore the Nigeria La­bour Congress (NLC) and its civil society allies in their threat to call a nationwide strike to pro­test the Federal Government’s hike of the price of petrol from N86 to N145 per litre.

 

The admonition came yester­day from the Conference of Nige­ria Political Parties (CNPP), which cautioned Nigerians against allow­ing organised labour to deceive them to support its planned strike for Wednesday.

 

In a statement it issued yes­terday, CNPP said that Nigerians should not trust the labour un­ions because they have been com­promised.

 

According to the group whose members are political parties in the country, the planned strike won’t last beyond Friday as the labour unions want to use it as a ploy to scuttle the genuine intentions of the government in increasing the pump price, noting that in 2012, labour carried out the same strike during the administration of for­mer President Goodluck Jonathan and dashed Nigerians’ expectations.

The CNPP statement was jointly signed by its National Chair­man, Alhaji Balarabe Musa and the Secretary-General, Chief Wil­ly Ezugwu.

Balarabe Musa said: “What the labour unions are doing now by calling for a strike is what they did in 2012 during the Occupy Ni­geria protests in response to similar increase in the pump price of petrol under former President Goodluck Jonathan. The labour unions later scuttled the action by purportedly entering into an agreement with the then government on behalf of Nige­rians and ended up fixing the pump price of petrol at N97.00 per litre.

“Nigerians must be wary that the planned strike action sched­uled for Wednesday won’t last be­yond Friday as the labour leaders have been compromised and are using the call as a ploy to deceive the masses.

“We have it on good authority that the labour leaders have been compromised. Recall that the la­bour leaders were at a meeting where the decision to inflict more pains on the already impoverished Nigerians by increasing the pump price was taken and never protested against it. Why the sudden U-turn by the same labour leaders?

Also yesterday, the Arewa De­fence League (ADL) called on Ni­gerians to show understanding with the present administration and shun any negative tendency.

The group said that the in­crease in petrol price was not meant to worsen the sufferings of Nigeri­ans as feared but aimed at ensuring availability and sustainability of the product, thereby reducing the hard­ship usually caused by its scarcity.

It, however, called on the gov­ernment to put in place palliatives to cushion the effects of the price increase.

In a statement jointly signed by the APD President, Mr. Murta­la Abubakar and the Secretary, Joint Action Committee of the Northern Youths Association (JACOM), Mr. Moses Onoja, the group noted that “the recent change in the price of petrol from N86.50k to N145 was greeted with mixed feelings.

“We wish to, as a body, add our voices to those who are of the view that the increase was meant for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians. Are­wa Defence League, in conjunction with the Joint Action Committee of the Northern Youth Association, wish to call on well-meaning indi­viduals to understand with the ad­ministration of President Muham­madu Buhari in its effort to fix the damage caused on the oil sector over the years by previous admin­istrations.

“We are of the belief that the temporary pains occasioned by the increase of petrol are aimed at ensuring its sustained availabili­ty which is already yielding results.

“We note with satisfaction the position of PENGASAN and NU­PENG which expressed support for this historic step and call on the NLC and other Nigerians to bear with the government whose intent and purpose is for the good of the country” Abubakar said.

Meanwhile, the Abuja Cham­ber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has called on the NLC to shelve its planned nationwide strike.

The appeal was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sun­day by the ACCI President, Mr. Tony Ejinkeonye.

He said: “ACCI is calling on the NLC to shelve their planned nation­wide strike,” adding that the cham­ber’s action was in the interest of the nation’s economy, which should not suffer any more knocks.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted Ejinkeonye as say­ing that “that is why, we are ask­ing labour and indeed all Nigeri­ans to support the government at this time. We in ACCI, made it clear over the years that it’s impossible for the government to continue subsi­dy payments on petrol.”