The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened a comprehensive and indefinite nationwide shutdown of the country if there is any further hike in the pump price of petrol from the current N617 naira.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that NLC President Joe Ajaero made the threat while speaking at the African Trade Union Alliance Meeting in Abuja on Monday.
He said that the union would not hesitate to declare a strike if the government does not listen to its demands.
Ajaero said: “As we’re here now. They’re contemplating increasing the pump price of petroleum products. But the Minister of Labor for some time now, will only go to the Minister of Justice to come up with an injunction to hold the hands of labour not to respond. They have started floating ideas of a likely increase in the price of petroleum products.
“But let me say this. Nigeria workers will not give any strike notice. If we have not addressed the consequences of the last two increases in fuel pump price, and we wake up from asleep to hear that they have tampered with the fuel pump price again.”
Ajaero went on to say; “I want to plead with the government that those bad economic policies that make our wages next to nothing, should be checked. If you check those policies that lead to inflation, and devaluation of the currency, we will be comfortable even where we are. if the naira is at par with the dollar today, we will ask you to leave the minimum wage at 30,000.”
“If inflation is checked to zero, we will ask you to leave things the way they are. But inflation is flying, and by the admittance of the National Bureau of Statistics, we have over 133 million Nigerians that are multi-dimensionally poor. I think these are the issues Government should address. If we go for wage increase tomorrow, the inflation that will follow suit will destroy it.”
Oil marketers have warned that the cost of petrol could rise to between N680 and N720 per litre in the coming weeks if the dollar continues to trade at N910 to N950 at the parallel market.
They have also said that dealers seeking to import petrol are being forced to put the plans on hold due to the scarcity of foreign exchange to import the commodity.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announced in July that the pump price of petrol had increased to at least N617 per litre.
This was after the government removed the subsidy on petrol.
However, IPMAN President Chinedu Okoronkwo said that since the removal of subsidy, the pump price of petrol is no longer determined by the government but by the market forces and dollar to naira exchange rate.
He said that he could not determine the exact amount the fuel price would get to, but that it would continue to skyrocket as long as the dollar keeps rising in the foreign exchange market.
Okoronkwo said that Nigerians need to find an alternative to petrol, such as compressed natural gas (CNG). He said that CNG is the best alternative because it is less expensive and more environmentally friendly than petrol.
“Nigerians are aware that there is no more subsidy and we have gotten into a new season where the market fundamentals are the ones playing the major role,” he told Sahara Reporters.
“So, we need to see how we can get an alternative as a panacea to the fuel price increase. Members of IPMAN use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and we believe it is the best alternative. The pressure on the naira is so much and the international market dictate is also not helping matters.
“If we can aggressively direct our attention towards Compressed Natural Gas, it will be a solution to fuel price hikes. It will also quench the pressure of the dollar on the naira.”
