NLC calls proposed N85 per litre 'propaganda', plans mass action

​The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday accused the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, of plotting to deregulate the prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) through propaganda.

NLC said such move would be resisted by all means, as affiliate unions under it were already being mobilised against the planned deregulation.

NLC in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, by its General Secretary, Dr Peter Ozo – Eson, said speculations on the commodity by the federal government were designed to confuse Nigerians.

Ozo-Eson restated that the directive to all state councils and industrial unions to commence the process of mobilization prior to a meeting of the National Executive Committee to be convened in the New Year still stands.

NLC noted that: “In the past few weeks, we have heard discordant tunes from government officials and chieftains of the ruling APC on what the future portends for the prices of petroleum products and the management of the subsidy scheme.

“The Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum first announced that come next year the price of petrol will revert to N97 per litre and that subsidy will be phased out. Two days, thereafter, he denied this and stated that what he said was that the price will operate within a band of N87 to N97 and that this did not mean removing the subsidy.

“The same minister now says that the price of petrol will now be N85 in January signifying the deregulation of the sector.

“These vacillations and flip flops are, in our view, designed to confuse Nigerians and pave the way for deregulation of petrol prices through the back door.

“The fact of the matter is that as long as we continue to depend on imported refined products, deregulation and the abandonment of a subsidy scheme will unleash hardship on Nigerians. In any case, according to our laws, the determination of the recommended prices of petroleum products is the responsibility of the Petroleum Products Prices Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).”

“By law, the board of PPPRA is made up of stakeholders. None of the contradictory prices the minister is throwing up is a product of the agency. Indeed, the board of the PPPRA has not operated for over two years although we have made repeated demands for the convening of the board.

“We call on the government to be guided by the rule of law and constitute and convene the board of PPPRA in accordance with the law without further delay. This will enable the agency to examine and agree a new pricing template based on the realities of today. Any price unilaterally determined and announced by the minister is in violation of the law,” Ozo-Eson said in the statement.

http://dailypost.ng/2015/12/30/nlc-calls-proposed-n85-per-litre-propaganda-plans-mass-action/

This Country is too funny

lie lie here and there....

Mek una wey no see anything good with this govt to wait and see how the drama goes.

No single truth among Nigerians.
Confusion everywhere

ok

make i kuku dust my snikers. OcupyNigeria 2 loading.

gud

K

I don't believe this is enough reason to embark on mass action because as it is, PPPRA has been out of service for about 2yrs but the job has to be done anyways.

If the NLC then decides to take on the govt on grounds that it failed to convene the appropriate agency board charged with the responsibility (under the law) of determining the price template, then NLC would be right to do so.

The NLC needs to shows some restraints & be more responsible in their approach to issues.

Which NLC is this?

Which of d NLC? Is it d Abuja faction dat protects d interest of d elites or d Lagos faction dat protects d interest of d masses

drss:
make i kuku dust my snikers. OcupyNigeria 2 loading.

Bros wait make we go 2geda. I kukumah like dis kind waka.

greatness22:
Bros wait make we go 2geda. I kukumah like dis kind waka.

no problem bros. we go hire first class DJs way go entertain us for street.

TBH, the communication strategy of this administration is a complete joke. No one seems clear on what the government policy and objectives are, especially as it concerns FX, Economy, Subsidy, etc. I expected this government to capitalize on the goodwill it enjoys to properly engage citizens on where we are going as a nation.
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Having said that, the NLC needs to be properly guided. It is beyond debate that Subsidy needs to go, especially in the face of dwindling government revenue. The difference between subsidy removal now and that of Jan 2012 is that, back then, the removal would have resulted in an increase in pump price from N67 to N141. Right now, subsidy removal will not result in any upward price review of PMS (infact, we hear that price might drop to as low as N85).
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Nigeria should take the opportunity of low oil prices to do the needful. Just bite the bullet and remove the damn thing once and for all and stop subsidizing rent-seeking marketers who will exploit arbitrage opportunities to make a killing.