… We reject subsidy removal –NLC, TUC
Stories by Moshood Adebayo, Charles Adegbite, Chris Iwara, Tony Ogaga Erhariefe, Wole Balogun, Ado Ekiti and Magnus Eze, Abuja
EKITI State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has condemned increase in petrol price from N86.50 to N145 and has described it as ‘insensitive.’
The governor, who said the over 70 per cent increment was another vindication of his predictions on what to expect in 2016, added that “it was now clear that scarcity of petrol being experienced in the last three months was deliberately orchestrated by theFederal Government to justify the increment.
Fayose said he was waiting for the reaction of those who took to the streets to protest when fuel subsidy was removed by the Dr Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2012 and urged labour unions to stand by their members, not minding the political party in government.
On its part, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to resist the new pump price of petrol and has accused government of also being insensitive to the economic hardship ravaging the nation.
NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba told Daily Sun yesterday that labour will meet with civil society on Monday, May 16, to decide the next step to take on the matter.
Wabba, who spoke from Brussels, Belgium, said labour rejected the new price when the latter met with representatives of organised labour before it was officially announced.
He said the hardship in the country does not give room for increment in energy price and stressed that labour was still protesting the recent hike in electricity charges by 45 per cent.
Aside that, he stated that several states still owe their workers several months salary arrears.
On whether they were consulted by government before fixing the price, he said: “Certainly, even today (yesterday), there was a meeting at the Presidential Villa and the position is very clear. Our representatives and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) made our position very straight forward against the increment…”