The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for a nationwide strike beginning next Wednesday.
This comes amid nationwide fuel shortages caused by President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech, in which he stated that “fuel subsidy is gone.”
The declaration was made by NLC President Joe Ajaero following an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja.
He stated that the government, specifically the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has till Wednesday next week to return to the previous pricing of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.
Ajaero went on to say that if the Federal Government does not fulfill the deadline, there will be unending protests across the country.
Tinubu stated during his inaugural statement at Eagle Square in Abuja on Monday that the age of gasoline subsidy payment had gone, adding that with no provision for fuel subsidy in the 2023 budget, further payment was no longer justifiable.
“The fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu declared. Instead, he said, his government would invest in infrastructure and other ways to boost the economy.
The presidential announcement resulted in an almost immediate return of fuel lineups around the country, with Nigerians scavenging for the premium product.
Though Tinubu’s decision was supported by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the House of Representatives, it has subsequently been opposed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
According to organized labor, the President cannot decide on subsidy reduction unilaterally.
TUC President Festus Osifo also suggested that there was a reason why Muhammadu Buhari’s administration moved the “sensitive issue” to the future government.
An hours-long conference on the subject between the Federal Government and the NLC on Wednesday ended without a resolution.
The Federal Government delegation includes Dele Alake, President Bola Tinubu’s spokesperson; Mele Kyari, Group CEO of the NNPC; Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
On the side of organized labor, the National Labour Congress (NLC) National President, Joe Ajaero, and the President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), Festus Osifo, were present.
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Before beginning negotiations with labor, the NLC urged that the Federal Government restore to the status quo by lowering petrol prices.
Ajaero emphasized that the Federal Government had not even discussed palliative measures for Nigerians, thus the rejection of the recent announcement.
