The Federal Government has been urged to stop the country’s fuel shortages and price increases by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
This was stated in a statement made on Saturday in Abuja by the presidents of the TUC and the NLC, which was signed by Mr. Festus Osifo and Mr. Ayuba Wabba.
It said that the lack of fuel, price increases, and needless long lines at gas stations were unacceptable and intolerable.
The country’s unapproved price hike of up to N240 per litre and preventable, unnecessary, devastating, and agonizing fuel shortages, according to the labor leaders, should be stopped.
“No reason is sufficient to cripple the country,” they admonished.
“If there are problems, they need to be resolved. They declared in their statement, “We have a government in place to address problems, not to offer justifications.
According to the statement, the labor leaders were perplexed and alarmed by the ongoing shortage and out-of-control prices that participants in the petroleum industry’s downstream sector were dishing out to Nigerians.
It was noticed that the people of Nigeria were suffering because of the ongoing shortages of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as gasoline.
It claimed that this had caused long, needless lines as well as product adulteration by dishonest people, customer exploitation, and the deterioration of fuel stations into traffic hazards.
“All of these have devastating repercussions for the Nigerian people and crippling impacts on the economy’s health, which is already in poor condition.
“We have reliable information that players in the downstream sector are intentionally fostering the shortage in order to drive up the price much above the government-approved threshold.
“It is a further issue when non-state players start to arrogate to themselves the right to set the price of a litre of fuel well above the amount regulated by the government in the current subsidy framework,” the report stated.
The labor leaders added that Nigerians and taxpaying citizens currently spend trillions of Naira yearly on fuel subsidies.
The same folks could not be taken advantage of and forced to pay more than N240 per litre when the prevailing ex-depot price was N148.19k, they continued.
In their statement, they pointed out that although though the subsidy payment had a huge opportunity cost, its benefits were gradually being lost.
They contend that no nation can advance if its citizens endure constant adversity and its industry are restrained by needless chains of misery.
The government’s reticence and reluctance to directly and openly address the traumatic experiences in the current circumstances are even more troubling because they show a high level of complicity in the unhealthy condition.
“While the people are being cruelly exploited, no caring and responsive administration will hide its head in the sand like the famous Ostrich.
The statement read, “We are deeply concerned that leaving our energy security and sovereignty in the hands of shady businessmen and their allies would further drive this country into the economic abyss we are trying so hard to avoid.
According to the statement, Organized Labor is prepared and eager to work with the Federal Government and offer any help needed to meet the nation’s current difficulties.
It demanded that more be done by the legal and regulatory authorities to safeguard Nigerians against exploitation.
