Admin l Friday, June 02, 2017
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Trade Union Congress has condemned the proposed 5 percent increment in petroleum products by the Nigeria Senate, describing it as a ploy to further pauperise the masses.
The increment in the prices of fuel is ‘to fund the Proposed National Roads Fund’. But in a statement, President and Secretary of TUC, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama and Musa Lawal-Ozigi, the union called on the lawmakers to drop the idea.
“Well, the Congress hereby warns and calls on the presidency and well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the senate and everyone behind the ungodly moves to drop them. They will be resisted. Our patience is over-stretched and we cannot be able to contain it anymore. A word is enough for the wise”, TUC warned.
The union said Congress is also against the proposed sale or reduction of the nation’s stakes in some oil and gas assets.
“We are surprised that Nigerian lawmakers and other political office holders have become numb to our pains, agonies and miseries. This is painful.
“For over two years now the organized labour has called for a wage increase without any reasonable step taken. What we earn when a bag of rice was N8, 000 is still our take home now that a bag of rice is N20, 000. How do we survive? Renowned writer, Williams Sharespeare captures it right when he said, “When beggar die there are no comets seen; the heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes”.
“Nigeria is always broke when workers talk about improved welfare; but rich enough to meet the needs of the greedy politicians. Politicians are never in tune with the realities on ground because of their unchecked material acquisitive instinct. They close their eyes to the increasing number of suicides cases and domestic violence in homes caused by pressure and poverty.
“They seem not to be perturbed by the spate of armed robbery and the unbridled ritual killings by a group called Badoo in Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb. It is shameful that all our leaders can think about this time of all times is FUEL HIKE!”, the TUc said.
Going into memory lane, TUC said that precisely on September 5th, 2016 it was reported that the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Sen. Sabi Abdullahi said further increase in fuel pump price beyond 145 Naira would translate to more hardship on Nigerians.
“He blamed former Group Managing Directors of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporations (NNPC) for raising such issue as a solution to the challenge of the sector. We are surprised that the position stated above few months ago no longer holds water”, the union said.
