NLC threatens strike over fuel scarcity
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on
Monday threatened mass action if the persistent
fuel scarcity is not urgently addressed.
It said it could be forced to demonstrate against
public officers who have not delivered on their
mandate and to demand their removal for
allowing increasing suffering and deprivation to
become the lot of Nigerians.
"Electricity has become an essential commodity,
public utilities have since gone to the dogs,
petroleum products have grown wings and
vanished, compounding an already bad transport
system, reducing Nigerians in all parts of the
nation to compulsory trekkers.
"Having observed the increasing alarm and
seeming confusion within the corridors of power
on possible solutions to the socio-economic
quagmire, we make haste to say that Nigeria is
indeed at crossroads today and the extent of
suffering is such that this nation has not
witnessed throughout its history.
"We, therefore, want the government at the
centre to quickly talk to Nigerian workers and the
masses on why we should continue having trust
and patience with them.
"We urge them to tell us why we should not be in
the streets calling for mass resignations of officers
of this government, and to also tell us why we
should not be worried when all the macro-
economic indices are moving downwards," NLC
said.
NLC, at a briefing in Lagos by its factional
president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, along with his
deputy, Achese Igwe, who doubles as the Nigeria
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers
(NUPENG) president, urged the government to
focus on getting the refineries working.
It said the licenses granted local refiners should
be reviewed and withdrawn from those who lack
the capacity.
The workers' body said with stolen funds being
returned by looters, the government should
deploy the monies to execution of projects.
"We urge the government to come clean as
promised and account for what it has actually
recovered from the treasury looters, giving
Nigerians details of the culprits and how much
each stole.
"We also urge the president and his cabinet to set
up appropriate machinery to deploy the
recovered funds to fill the resource gaps
complained about because of the dip in global oil
prices," NLC said.
Igwe said NUPENG was willing to collaborate with
the government to ensure the petroleum
products are distributed seamlessly when
available.
He added, however, that the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was yet to reach
out to NUPENG leadership on how the union can
help end the fuel crisis.
"NNPC is yet to partner with NUPENG. They are
yet to sit down with NUPENG on how to get this
problem solved. But we are willing to partner with
NNPC to end this fuel crisis," Igwe said.
On the leadership crisis in NLC, Ajaero said his
faction was still open to reconciliation, adding a
seven-man committee that was set up to
reconcile the factions at the state chapter level
was frustrated.
"We are waiting for reconciliation. For now we
have two NLCs, one for the government and one
for the people. We are for the people," Ajaero
Monday threatened mass action if the persistent
fuel scarcity is not urgently addressed.
It said it could be forced to demonstrate against
public officers who have not delivered on their
mandate and to demand their removal for
allowing increasing suffering and deprivation to
become the lot of Nigerians.
"Electricity has become an essential commodity,
public utilities have since gone to the dogs,
petroleum products have grown wings and
vanished, compounding an already bad transport
system, reducing Nigerians in all parts of the
nation to compulsory trekkers.
"Having observed the increasing alarm and
seeming confusion within the corridors of power
on possible solutions to the socio-economic
quagmire, we make haste to say that Nigeria is
indeed at crossroads today and the extent of
suffering is such that this nation has not
witnessed throughout its history.
"We, therefore, want the government at the
centre to quickly talk to Nigerian workers and the
masses on why we should continue having trust
and patience with them.
"We urge them to tell us why we should not be in
the streets calling for mass resignations of officers
of this government, and to also tell us why we
should not be worried when all the macro-
economic indices are moving downwards," NLC
said.
NLC, at a briefing in Lagos by its factional
president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, along with his
deputy, Achese Igwe, who doubles as the Nigeria
Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers
(NUPENG) president, urged the government to
focus on getting the refineries working.
It said the licenses granted local refiners should
be reviewed and withdrawn from those who lack
the capacity.
The workers' body said with stolen funds being
returned by looters, the government should
deploy the monies to execution of projects.
"We urge the government to come clean as
promised and account for what it has actually
recovered from the treasury looters, giving
Nigerians details of the culprits and how much
each stole.
"We also urge the president and his cabinet to set
up appropriate machinery to deploy the
recovered funds to fill the resource gaps
complained about because of the dip in global oil
prices," NLC said.
Igwe said NUPENG was willing to collaborate with
the government to ensure the petroleum
products are distributed seamlessly when
available.
He added, however, that the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was yet to reach
out to NUPENG leadership on how the union can
help end the fuel crisis.
"NNPC is yet to partner with NUPENG. They are
yet to sit down with NUPENG on how to get this
problem solved. But we are willing to partner with
NNPC to end this fuel crisis," Igwe said.
On the leadership crisis in NLC, Ajaero said his
faction was still open to reconciliation, adding a
seven-man committee that was set up to
reconcile the factions at the state chapter level
was frustrated.
"We are waiting for reconciliation. For now we
have two NLCs, one for the government and one
for the people. We are for the people," Ajaero
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