The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) has asked its members to shun tomorrow's indefinite strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the new petrol price.

National President of the association Barrister Kenneth Ukaoha said on Tuesday in Abuja at the executive meeting of the body that traders nationwide should go about their normal businesses and reject being manipulated to destabilize the country.

He said though the association is not holding brief for the federal government over the deregulation of the downstream oil sector of the economy, the importance of the sector being the major source of revenue for the nation necessitates their backing government action to purge the sector of all leakages bedeviling the sector for years.

“To us the only way to do this is perhaps to do away completely with subsidy and so we applaud its disappearance in the 2016 budget. NANTS therefore commends the move by government in removing the fuel subsidy, and hopes it will forever remain buried. We equally hope that by government’s action, Nigerians would no longer be held by the jugular by independent marketers and those in the oil sector who have hijacked and made a mockery of the “fuel subsidy” regime with corrupt practices that have plundered the commonwealth of the people,” Ukaoha said.

He also urged government to push the oil importers to source for their own foreign currency like every other commodity importer, arguing that if government is not subsidizing the traders in any way but still collects duties, taxes and other levies from them, saying it would amount to disservice for government to continue ‘oiling the elbows’ of oil marketers in manner that leaves them only smiling to the banks at the expense of the poor and tax payers.

While acknowledging that many Nigerians are passing through difficulties due to months of unpaid salaries and rising market prices of commodities, particularly food stuff, he added that the consequences of such unpaid salaries have been worsened by alleged diversion of bailout funds by some states thereby pushing the lives of many workers towards an unbearable mark.

He therefore urged the government to ensure regular supply of petrol so that Nigerians would recover from the pains of endless queues at petrol stations and to monitor the oil marketers to avoid their possible exploitation of Nigerians.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/traders-snub-nlc-strike-back-fg-deregulation/147142.html#Pml0fQ4rhFcMHTfQ.99

Hmm but who is embarking on this strike with labour tomorrow?

We Nigerians shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free