₦airaland Forum

The All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has been accused by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) of playing puppet to forces of fuel subsidy and deregulation.

The NLC has accused President Buhari of turning back from his campaign promises.The NLC in its new year message to its teeming members and Nigerians, said 2015 witnessed a year where President Buhari shifted ground from his campaign promises and has now become a captive of forces of fuel subsidy removal and deregulation.

According to the body, President Buhari’s earlier assurance that there was no rationale for subsidy removal has now been over taken by discordant tunes with the president now in full support of tinkering with the removal of subsidy.

In the message  signed by the NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the congress, quoting the president, said: “According to Buhari: ‘What I understand that Nigeria should charge Nigerians is the cost of one barrel at the wellhead and then the cost of transportation to the refinery, the cost of refining it and its cost at the pump. If anybody says he is subsidizing anything, he is a fraud. So all these people talking about subsidy, who is subsidising who?’

”During his maiden visit to the United States shortly after his inauguration as president, while addressing Nigerians in diaspora, President Buhari had emphatically explained in detail: ‘When people ask you to remove subsidy, ask them to define it. Who is subsidising whom? Let me make it clear. These people are gleefully saying, “remove subsidy”… they want petrol to cost N500 per litre. If you are working and subsidy is removed, you can’t control transport, you can’t control market women, the cost of food, the cost of transportation…if you are earning N20,000 per day and living in Lagos or Ibadan, the cost of transportation to work and back, the cost of food.

”You cannot control the market women. They have to pay what transporters charge them. But I’m thinking more than half of the population of Nigeria virtually cannot afford to live… where will they get the money to go (to) work? How can they feed their families? How can they pay rent?"

The NLC’s message touched various issues that affect the Nigerian people, more details from the communique can be found on This Day.

The NLC has described the planned deregulation in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) as a “propaganda targeted at confusing Nigerians.”

In a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, December 29, in Abuja, the general secretary of the NLC, Peter Ozo-Eson said the move would be resisted by all means. Ozo-Eson added that affiliate unions under NLC were already being mobilized against the planned deregulation.

praxisnetworks:
NLC we don't need your chalartanism now.... Pmb is trying to find his feet while you are trying to precipitate crisis where there is none... Or are you benefiting from the phantom subsidy payments?

Warning: if you can't contribute positively don't derail the Nigerian project.

ShowYourCertificate:
We have to hold politicians by their words, Buhari is no exception. He said he won't remove subsidy, so he should stick to his word if he's truly a man of integrity. Nice one NLC.

irunooboo:
U still dey find certificate of a man that was just awarded doctorate degree Smh for your ignorance

mazzi:
zombie!

ShowYourCertificate:
It was an honorary award. Even a primary school dropout can get such award provided he's rich or has power.