- Nkire appeals to Labour
From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
BENUE State Governor, Samuel Ortom has supported the decision of the Federal Government to deregulate the oil sector.
He described it as the best option for the country in the face of the present economic challenges.
This was just as former Lagos State commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav insisted that removal of fuel subsidy was outrageous and exploitative.
Regardless, Ortom made the position of his administration known at the weekend when he spoke at the funeral of mama Elizabeth Ogbeh, mother of the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief Audu Ogbeh, held at St. Francis’ Catholic Church, Efugo, Otukpa, Ogbadibo local government areaof the state.
The governor lamented that money realised from oil subsidy had been misused in the past and said the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari administration to remove subsidy on petroleum products was a good development.
On the other hand, Tsav, who lamented the untold hardship the subsidy removal would cause ordinary Nigerians, who he said were being owed months of salaries and pensions, warned that if nothing is done to address the issue and revert back to the former price, the matter could cause more hardship for Nigerians.
“The price increase of petroleum product will cause more hardship to Nigerians. Jonathan may be better here and the much talked about change may be fraud.”
Meanwhile, a member of the national caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Sam Nkire has also appealed to labour unions to reconsider their threat to go on strike and shut down Nigeria due to the fuel price increase.
Reacting to NLC’s threat, Nkire said his party regarded organised labour as partners in progress and wondered why they would not support any government policy that would lead to eventual recovery of Nigeria’s economy.
Nkire said although everyone in the country, including APC members, was feeling the pinch of the fuel price increase, it was a bitter pill we must all swallow for things to get better.
He appealed to every Nigerian, including members of the labour unions, to give Buhari a chance to govern and not constitute a clog in the wheel of progress. Nkire said the fact that Buhari had proposed several palliative measures in the 2016 budget shows that he feels the pains of Nigerians and that he is determined to end it.
The Abia State-born politician added that neither Buhari nor APC would do anything to inflict unnecessary pain on the masses, “knowing full well that APC is a party owned and supported by the masses.”