…Demands immediate reversal
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has strongly condemned the latest hike in fuel pump price from N897 to N1,030 by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, on Wednesday.
NLC demanded the information reversed of the new increase, saying it has further worsened the plights of the struggling masses.
The Labour union which decried the worsening hardship in the country wondered if only fuel price hike is the only way the Federal Government knows it can generate revenues.
NLC National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement on Wednesday, called on the Government “to inform Nigerians of the destination it plans to take the country.”
“Even following the logic of market forces, we find it an aberration that a private company (NNPCL) is the one fixing prices and projecting itself as a hegemonic monopoly. We challenge the government to go to the drawing board and present us with a blueprint for inclusive economic growth and national development instead of this spasmodic ad-hocism and palliative policy.
“It needs no stating the fact that the latest wave of increase has grossly altered the calculations of Nigerians once again at a time they were reluctantly coming to terms with their new realities. It will further deepen poverty as production capacities dip and more jobs are lost with multidimensional negative effects.
“In light of this, we urge the government to immediately reverse this rate hike as previous increases did not produce any good results. People only got poorer. But more fundamentally, the government should be bold enough to tell Nigerians in advance the destination it wants to take the country.”
