By Siojare Uvoh
The Nigeria Labour Congress has hinted that it will go ahead with its nationwide strike in protest against the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his first day in office.
This is just as the Trade Union Congress after meeting with the presidency at the weekend, is developing a wait and see attitude even as it presented a list of demands to mitigate against the effect of the subsidy removal. They include an increment of the national minimum wage, which according to Dele Alake the government will look into, but was not sure if the government can meet some of the other demands.
NLC officials did not participate in that meeting held at the State House Abuja. The workers union is taking a strong position and according to former NLC deputy president Amaechi Asugwuni, there is no going back until the government reverses itself on the subsidy removal and negotiate with the workers.
“Strike is inevitable because people know that the Nigerian government is paying subsidies because it is not refining itself…So, doing away with subsidy without you refining after 30 years or more suggests incompetence,” said Mr. Asugwuni while speaking on Channels TV Sunrise talk show Monday.
He faulted the government position on refining petroleum products.
“Using Dangote as a yardstick or determinant factor for subsidy removal is laughable. Dangote is Dangote, Dangote is not the Federal Government and let us not suggest that Dangote is now richer than Nigeria. It is not true.
“If Dangote can put a refinery in place within a space of years, the Federal government can do more than four refineries of that size in Nigeria. If we subject Nigeria’s market to the Dangote refinery alone, it means that we have transferred the corruption we are running away from to one man.”
