The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has vowed to mobilise Nigerian workers to resist any attempt by the government to increase the pump price of fuel in the guise of petrol subsidy removal.
The president of the union, Ayuba Wabba, who made this resolve Monday at the opening ceremony of the 18th edition of NLC Harmattan School, in Ilorin, Kwara state, said workers would come out en mass to resist such moves.
Wabba stated further that the NLC will resist any price increase in the name of removal of subsidy.
He said: “We will not discuss anything subsidy. What they have told us is that the refineries will be fixed by 2023 and it will start production.
“Although there is nothing bad about subsidy, but in our case, it is shrouded in secrecy. It is not a transparent process, the consumption and all details are shrouded. This is typical of a capitalist economy,’’ he said.
He noted that many countries had done it and are running those enterprises as enterprises of government and that the transparent process is working for them.
“If you privatise without transparent process like we have seen in the banks, which government has supported with public funds, but failed because they lack transparency and good governance templates, it will not work.
“This is what we have been arguing. Nigerians should reflect on this. Once you say you remove subsidy and you follow the trend of the diesel, it means it will be out of reach.
“The price of diesel now is almost N850 to N860 per litre. Is it the same thing we want to apply to PMS? How many people can afford it?,” he asked.
(Ripples Nigeria)
