LABOUR and the civil society groups rejected, yesterday, Monday’s concession by the Federal Government to cut fuel price by N5 per litre, and declared they were going ahead with the planned nationwide strike from today.
The removal of N5 from the N75 fuel price, the strike organisers said, did not go far enough. They are insisting on reversion to the old price of N65 per litre.
Government had on Monday agreed to reduce the pump price of petrol from N75 to N70, and revert the price of kerosine from N64 to N54 per litre. It also suspended the implementation of the new Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5 per cent to 10 per cent.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has welcomed the suspension of the new VAT and appealed to its members to act accordingly.
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at an emergency meeting in Abuja yesterday decided to write a letter to President Umaru Yar’Adua, urging him to revert to the old price of N65 by midnight yesterday.
Labour lamented the failure of government to uphold the rule of law on the issue of fuel price increase, stressing that the focus of Labour was to collectively salvage Nigerians from bondage.
Addressing the media after and emergency meeting of the Central Working Committee which lasted four hours, President of the NLC, Comrade Abdualwaheed Omar, said the decision of the CWC after considering the demand and concession of the Federal Government, the major bone of contention remained the fuel price increase. The meeting insisted that the President should revert to the former N65 per litre because apart from the fact that the increase constituted a serious nuisance to the general public, it was also based an illegality because it was done through President fiat as opposed to the laid down regulations on how fuel price increase could be effected.
“The Central Working Committee has decided to write formally to Mr President, drawing his attention to this very issue, that the Federal Government has up to midnight today (yesterday) to effect the reversal. That is the position of the NLC.
“We see no reason why the rule of law should not be extended to the issue of fuel price increase. We also express our gratitude to Madam Speaker who paid a courtesy call, though they also pleaded but above all, we believe that maintaining the rule of law is paramount to us and to Nigerians. Therefore, we call on the Federal Government, particularly Mr President, to revert the price increase from N75 to N65 and like I said, all of us have between now and midnight to correct things so that Nigerians will not be put into bondage. Like I said earlier, we are only doing this in order to collectively salvage ourselves not because we derive joy in it. I want to call on Nigerians to bear with us in order to collectively come out of the woods,” he said.
The Senate leadership had yesterday visited the headquarters of the NLC to persuade the Labour leaders to soft-pedal on their proposed strike. The meeting was held behind closed doors.
Senate leaders appeal to Labour
Senate President, General David Mark, told newsmen that the Senate was concerned about the implication of the strike “on the generality of Nigerians at this critical period.”
He appealed to Labour to consider the offer by government and call off the proposed strike. “We want to commend Labour for towing the path of dialogue and we implore it to continue in that manner in order to avert this crisis situation,” he said.
The NLC President Omar, said he was not in a position to unilaterally call off the strike. “It is rather unfortunate that the strike has to commence on Wednesday in spite of the series of meetings with government and the National Assembly,” he said.
