The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reiterated its opposition to any attempt by the newly-installed Muhammad Buhari administration to remove subsidy on petroleum product.
The congress asked the government to rather focus on ensuring that fuel pumps across the country are dispensing petrol at the approved pump prize.
The position of the congress is contained in a statement signed by the Acting President of the Congress, Comrade Kiri Mohammed.
It stated tharaid the Buhari government must take charge of the situation and declare an emergency that will address the fuel situation in the country.
The congress lamented that in a nation that produces crude oil, scarcity of the petroleum products has been allowed to linger for four months, while those accused of mismanaging subsidy on petroleum products are still walking the streets free without any of them being brought to book.
The statement reads: “The current scarcity of petroleum products entered the fourth month, this month and a credible solution is yet to be provided other than media reports of promises to end the crisis, a crisis that have already further slowed down our national economy and caused hardships to many families and homes, with workers, both in the formal and informal sectors being the most hit.
“It has become extremely difficult for workers to get to work because of the perpetual scarcity of petroleum products, which has burdened their salaries as they now have to pay exorbitant transport fares to commute to work, even as majority of them have not received salaries in months.
“This has become worse as public transportation are scarce due to unavailability of fuel, and this might cause workers to stop resuming at work.
“While we appreciate the fact that the present government is new, it is important that it takes full control of the situation and declare an emergency that will ensure the pumps at all fuel stations across the country are selling effectively, and at the official price of N87 per litre.
“Government must not allow itself to be blackmailed, not even by petroleum marketers, to abandon the delivery of goods and services that help our economy out of prevailing doldrum. The unavailability of petroleum products and lack of electricity are some of the reasons our economy is down and any serious government must direct serious attention to these.
“While we commend the present administration for taking firm steps at confronting the prevalent terror attacks in some parts of the country, we urge government to also see the scarcity of petroleum products as yet another major challenge that must not be treated with kid gloves.
“This scarcity must end and the government must do much more to ensure it ends otherwise our economy will sure suffer higher damages.
“We however make haste to restate our opposition to the removal of subsidy, if the scarcity is a ploy to arm twist government to do so. Being a major plank of the economy, the petroleum sector should be subsidised. The current scarcity lends more justification for this, given the monumental effect it has negatively impacted on our national economy.
“It is apparent that the petroleum industry is enmeshed in corruption, totally seized by a cabal of criminals who have been beneficiaries of a loose system. But government can’t abdicate its responsibilities on mere grounds of a tiny few using the ineffectiveness and sleaze of the system to deny the Nigerian people quality and productive life.
“Till date, none of the people accused of compromising fuel subsidy funds have been effectively prosecuted, jailed or compelled by any court to return monies so looted to the public treasury. Ordinary Nigerians should not be made to suffer the consequence of the ineptitude of any arm of government, and the new government must also not allow itself to be trapped in helplessness. We need fuel, and our government must endeavour to ensure we have it shortly.”
