Petrol Price Hike: It’s worrisome making consumers suffer for government’s failure to properly manage refineries ─NLC

*The Organised Labour rejects petrol price hike, says there’s a limit to what Nigerians can tolerate

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In view of the recent increase in the pump price of petrol in the West African country, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded the immediate reversal of the pump price of the product, otherwise referred to as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

Comrade Ayuba Wabba, mni, President of NLC, who said this in a statement Monday, November 16, equally decried the government action, and condemned the latest increase in petrol price.

Wabba disclosed that the recent hike in petrol pump price has worsened the level of pain and anguish in the country.

ConsumerConnect had reported that the Federal Government had announced a new pump price band for petroleum products, raising the ex-depot price of petrol to N155.17, making marketers sell between N165 and N173 per litre to consumers.

The NLC statement said: “The recent increase in the pump price of PMS is clearly against the spirit and content of what Organised Labour agreed with government at the last negotiations over the last fuel price increase.”

It is worrisome to make Nigerians continue to suffer for the failures of successive governments to properly manage the nation’s refineries, stated the NLC President.

It also noted that the development has questioned the explanations the government advanced in connection with payment of subsidy.

According to NLC, Nigeria would not have been in its present position if the government had been alive to its responsibilities.

The union, however, warned the authorities that Nigerian consumers have a limit to tolerate the continued increase in the price of refined petroleum products and other essential goods and services in the country.

It urged the government to rehabilitate the nation’s dysfunctional refineries.

The union emphasised that there are several options available to reverse the trend of high prices of refined petroleum products being imported into the country.

As part of its recommendations, it demanded the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the downstream petroleum sector, and seal refining deals with refineries in the neighbouring countries.

The union, however, added “while we await the full recovery of our refineries as contained in our agreement with government, Nigerians cannot be made to bleed endlessly for the failures of successive government to properly manage our refineries.”

The government should also demonstrate the will to stamp out the smuggling of petroleum products out of Nigeria, said the NLC.

It said: “We need to see big-time petroleum smugglers arraigned in the court of law and made to pay for their crimes against the Nigerian people.

“Government has the resources available to it to ensure this economic justice to Nigerians.”

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