In a report by Vanguard, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) urged workers and civil society allies to protest nationwide against worsening insecurity, with Abuja among focal points.
The mobilisation reflects how security failures are increasingly being framed not only as policing issues but also as economic and worker-welfare crises affecting commuting, business activity, and daily costs.
Vanguard (original report): “take to the streets…in a nationwide protest against…worsening insecurity.”
Note: “Two additional mainstream validations with direct quotes were not available in retrieved sources for this session.”
Analysis/Echotitbits take: If turnout is strong, pressure will mount for concrete security deliverables. Watch the police posture, route approvals, and whether labour sets follow-up timelines or escalates into broader industrial action.
The immediate reversal of the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol has been demanded by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday.
The demand was made known In a statement by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, who condemned the increase in the price of the product by the Federal Government.
It stated that the recent hike in petrol pump price has worsened the level of pain and anguish in the country.
According to the NLC, it is worrisome to make Nigerians continue to suffer for the failures of successive governments to properly manage the nation’s refineries.
It added that the development has questioned the explanations made by the government on the payment of subsidy.
The union insisted that the nation would not have been in its present position if the government had been alive to its responsibilities.
It warned that Nigerians have a limit to tolerate the continued increase in the price of refined petroleum products and other essential goods and services.
On the way forward, the NLC asked the government to fix the nation’s refineries, stressing that several options were available to tackle the trend of high prices of refined petroleum products.
Among other recommendations, it asked the government to declare a state of emergency in the downstream petroleum sector and seal refining deals with refineries closer to Nigeria.
A file photo of an attendant filling the fuel tank of a car.
The union was, however, silent on what action it would take if the increased price was not reversed.
The Federal Government had announced a new pump price band for petroleum products, raising the ex-depot price of petrol to N155.17, making marketers sell between N165 and N173 per litre to consumers.
Read the full statement by the NLC below:
THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS CONDEMNS AND REJECTS THE RECENT INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF PETROL (PREMIUM MOTOR SPIRIT)
There is no doubt that there is great disquiet in the land over the extraordinary level of inflation in the country. The recent increase in the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has only exacerbated the current level of pain and anguish in the country.
The recent increase in the pump price of PMS is clearly against the spirit and content of what Organized Labour agreed with government at the last negotiations over the last fuel price increase.
It has also cast in very bad light our utmost good faith with regards to government explanations that it lacks funds to continue bankrolling the so-called subsidy payments as such would sooner than later cripple the entire economy, throw the country into severe economic crisis and cause loss of jobs in millions.
While we await the full recovery of our refineries as contained in our agreement with government, Nigerians cannot be made to bleed endlessly for the failures of successive government to properly manage our refineries, ensure value for money for the numerous Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) which were poorly and barely executed and the horrifying lack of interest in prosecuting public officials and private business people who have profited from the rot in our petroleum sector and the collective misery they have imposed on the general population.
The truth is that we would not have been in this precarious situation if government had been alive to its responsibilities. There is a limit to what the citizens can tolerate if this abysmal increases in the price of refined petroleum products and other essential goods and services continue.
While we fix our refineries, there are a number of options open to government to stem the tide of high prices of refined petroleum products. One is for government to declare a state of emergency in our downstream petroleum sector. As a follow up to this, government should enter into contract refining with refineries closer home to Nigeria.
This will ensure that the cost of supplying of crude oil is negotiated away from prevailing international market rate so that the landing cost of refined petroleum products is significantly reduced.
Government should also demonstrate the will to stamp out the smuggling of petroleum products out of Nigeria. We need to see big-time petroleum smugglers arraigned in the court of law and made to pay for their crimes against the Nigerian people. Government has the resources available to it to ensure this economic justice to Nigerians.
The question in the minds of many Nigerians is if government is willing to go headlong against major financiers of the major political parties known to the public as the architects of the current national woe.
We also demand that Nigerians should be carried along on the distribution of refined petroleum products. Information of the distribution of petroleum products to petrol stations should be advertised and made public knowledge.
It should not be difficult to establish the average time it takes a petrol station to exhaust its supplies. There is already an established market trend which will help government fix the rot in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.
Second, we call on government to review the entire process of licensing for modular and bigger refineries. It is queer to depend on the enterprise of one man to fix Nigeria’s downstream petroleum subsector. The more public and private refineries in play, the higher the competition.
This would serve end consumers who would benefit from lower prices. Organized Labour will not accept a fait accompli of the monopoly of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector or the emergence of a cartel of Oligarchs whose end game is mass pauperisation.
Third, in line with our recent agreement with government, we will be receiving updates in the next few days from our unions in the petroleum sector which have been given the mandate to keep surveillance on government promise to overhaul our public refineries.
We will also receive updates from our representatives in the electricity review committee. The updates we receive will determine whether the government has kept to its side of the bargain which is to take serious steps to recover and reposition our public refineries.
The outcome of this engagement will determine our response in the coming days. But while we are at that, we condemn the recent price increase, and we call for its reversal with immediate effect.
The President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government has condemned those attacking the organised labour unions for calling off the proposed industrial action originally scheduled to take place on September 28 as enemies of Nigeria’s progress and development.
The Presidency argued that since the organised labour toed the path of honour last week, seeing reason with the imperatives of fuel price adjustment, and opening a further window of dialogue on the service based electricity tariff, some groups of Nigerians have been “dolorous, disgruntled, and disconsolate.”
The Buhari administration also descried some other Nigerians who have expressed disappointment at the labour unions’ bipartite agreement as “bitter-enders,” who have remained entrenched in pre-2015 and 2019 elections mode.
“Since organised labour toed the path of sense and sensibility last week, seeing reason with the imperatives of fuel price adjustment, and opening a further window of dialogue on the service based electricity tariff, some groups of Nigerians have been dolorous, disgruntled, and disconsolate.
“They had apparently perfected plans to use the strike by the labour unions as smokescreen to unleash anarchy on the land, fomenting mayhem and civil disobedience. But the plan blew up in their faces, and they have been in severe pains since then. They have launched series of tirades against organised labour.
“For some interest groups, their intention was to use the umbrella of the strike to further their whimsical and pie-in-the-sky dream of a revolution in the country. It went bust in their faces.
“For some others, Bitter-Enders, who have remained entrenched in pre-2015 and 2019 elections mode, it was opportunity to avenge the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests, which they believe largely devalued the government of the day, and led to its eventual ouster in 2015.
“The strike that was to have come up last week, they wanted to use as opportunity for a pound of flesh, which they calculated would weaken the government so much, and influence the 2023 elections. For them, it was all about hanker for power, its trappings and appurtenances. Nothing about love of country. They have since then been calling organised labour all sorts of names, claiming they deceived Nigerians.
“The times in which we live-with severe security, economic and social challenges-call for all hands to be on deck, and goodwill and support for government, as it strives to put the nation on an even keel. We commend organised labour for putting the country first.
“Those sponsoring and encouraging discord and anarchy, either for selfish ends, or as revenge for perceived injuries, are enemies of the country. Nigerians are urged to beware of them, as the Muhammadu Buhari government is only interested in engendering better quality of life for the citizenry. Nothing more,” said a statement by Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.
Labour: FG Makes Last Ditch Effort to Avert Costly Strike 7pm
In what appears to be a last ditch effort to avert the impending nationwide strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Federal Government has scheduled a meeting with the leadership of Organised Labour for 7pm on Sunday.
Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan, confirmed the meeting in a statement.
Earlier adjourned to Monday at 3pm on after the Federal Government failed to reach an agreement with Labour on fuel and electricity tariff hikes, the meeting will hold at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja by 7pm.
“The Honorable Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige will be meeting with the Organized Labour.
“The meeting earlier scheduled for Monday 28th September 2020 is now scheduled as follows:
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said the organised labour would at appropriate time come out with a position on the recent increases in prices of various essential commodities, including fuel and electricity.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, stated this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday in reaction to the increases in the prices of petrol and electricity.
NAN reports that the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) announced that the ex-depot price of premium motor spirit (petrol) has been increased to N151.60 per litre from N138.62 with effect from September 2.
Also, electricity tariff was increased effective September 1 by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) from N30.23 per one kwh to N62.33.
Wabba, who spoke on the issues, said the organised labour would not protest until the Central Working Committee (CWC) has been able to meet and agree on appropriate action.
He said: “Labour takes one battle at a time. It does not make announcement without backing it with action.”
The labour leader noted that NLC has remained consistent on neo-liberal policies, and would take appropriate action in respect of the increases in order to achieve desired result.
He added that it was high time Nigeria started refining products locally to solve importation challenges.
On the suspended planned protest against Rivers State Government, Wabba said there was the need to mend fences between the state and labour to ensure harmonious relationship.
He pointed out that the will of the people should not always be taken for granted “as injury to one is injury to all.”
Wabba called on other state governments to take appropriate steps toward addressing labour issues so as to avoid the wrath of the organised labour.
“We will take up any state that undermines the rights of workers. Workers should be conscious of their rights.
“There is synergy and we will confront recalcitrant employers to respect the law, so that we don’t give room for sudden situations to rise,” Wabba said.
He explained that Rivers State Government and labour unions have concluded negotiations on minimum wage, and the enabling circular would be released for a collective bargaining agreement to be signed.
Idowu Sowunmi
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