By The Nigeria Labour Congress, or NLC, has issued a warning that people agitating for the removal of subsidies in Nigeria are attempting to ignite a civil war.
The warning was issued in response to news that President Muhammadu Buhari’s departing administration had deferred to the new administration’s decision over the removal of gasoline subsidies.
NLC contends that local petroleum product refining should be prioritized over subsidy elimination.
In an interview yesterday in Lagos, the general secretary of the NLC, Emma Ugboaja, insisted that organized labor would not accept any increase in petrol prices under the guise of eliminating subsidies.
According to him, it will be uncharitable for any administration to discuss subsidies or lack thereof for
“One would have assumed that instead of continuing the ludicrous comedy of subsidy or no subsidy, Nigerians would be presenting the next government with a real task on how to bring Nigeria forward. We can’t be the kind of individuals who ignore records.
“It is a known fact that the government, which is poised to leave office in 2016, informed Nigerians that the subsidy had been eliminated. Despite the NLC’s stance that there was no subsidy to remove and that the issue was a price increase, people continued to complain. What subsidy are they eliminating or are we talking about now if they previously told us that they had eliminated the subsidy in 2016?
Its good that Nigeria is naturally and thoroughly blessed within 2023. The fact that we are debating subsidies rather than production has a sinister air to it.
The time and effort people spend debating subsidies demonstrate their lack of concentration. It demonstrates a lack of sincerity and a disregard for the ideal of good administration. It is insane if, in 2023, we spend all our time debating whether to provide subsidies or not, rather than hiring individuals who will properly utilize our natural resources.
A ridiculous comedy of subsidies
“One would have assumed that instead of continuing the ludicrous comedy of subsidy or no subsidy, Nigerians would be presenting the next government with a real task on how to bring Nigeria forward. We can’t be the kind of individuals who ignore records.
“It is a known fact that the government, which is poised to leave office in 2016, informed Nigerians that the subsidy had been eliminated. Despite the NLC’s stance that there was no subsidy to remove and that the issue was a price increase, people continued to complain. What subsidy are they eliminating or are we talking about now if they previously told us that they had eliminated the subsidy in 2016?
It needs to be refined, and that is the key point. Wickedness is anything outside of what keeps our refineries running. We must get our refineries running. That is not particularly complex. We nearly always hear them claim that the Taskforce has destroyed or torn down a specific number of refineries in Niger Delta creeks. Why are you unable to use our institutions to process quality control, and why won’t you use them to process simpler, less expensive refining processes?
We need to stop treating these elites like children. Our ruling class is cruel to the nation. Don’t permit this new wave of resource waste to happen in order to manipulate Nigerians’ perceptions of the impending subsidy elimination through the media. Local crude refining in Nigeria ought to start happening soon. Nothing else ought to happen soon.
“Anybody pushing Nigerians toward subsidy elimination wants to destroy the nation. They are free to attack and destroy the nation. You cannot convince us to accept anything less than Nigerian crude being refined. This path has never been profitable for us in the past.
Our ruling class is cruel to the nation. Don’t permit this new wave of resource waste to happen to manipulate Nigerians’ perceptions of the impending subsidy elimination through the media. Local crude refining in Nigeria ought to start happening soon. Nothing else ought to happen soon.
“Anybody pushing Nigerians toward subsidy elimination wants to destroy the nation. They are free to attack and destroy the nation. You cannot convince us to accept anything less than Nigerian crude being refined. This path has never been profitable for us in the past.
We continue to call it a fraud, and in 2016 they verified our suspicions when they told us directly that the subsidy had been cut off. They told us face-to-face that they were releasing Nigerians by finally dismantling subsidiaries. When we objected, they claimed that we lacked the power to stop them and moved forward anyhow. They shouldn’t force us to pay more for fuel in the sake of eliminating subsidies. We will contest any increase in the price of gasoline imposed by the government on the pretext of removing subsidies. Efforts against it will be made, that much is clear.
Similar to this, the Joint Action Front (JAF), a group of pro-labor civil society organizations, declared through its secretary Abiodun Aremu: “JAF is opposed to the neo-liberal policies of privatization and deregulation at all times.
Such a policy framework is to blame for the rise in fuel prices, severe corruption in the petroleum industry, and the fake fuel crisis brought on by the Buhari administration during the previous eight years.
The new NLC leadership must reaffirm to Nigerians that labor is certainly ready for a full-scale struggle against all opposed socio-economic policies at the root of the nation’s underdevelopment.
In response to yesterday’s warning from labor, Olumide Adeosun, chairman of MOMAN, said major marketers were uncomfortable with the continuation of the gasoline subsidy since it had, over the years, hampered investment and growth in the sector.
“We need complete deregulation in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act, or PIA,” he declared. In the end, the legislation is best for the country.
The Federal Government has continued to subsidize the price of gasoline due to ongoing regulation of the industry, according to Mike Osatuyi, National Operations Controller of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN.
We have always been against fuel subsidies, he declared. In our opinion, subsidies will end once the downstream sector
This is necessary to save money that is now spent on subsidies and to draw genuine investors, which will expand the sector.
It is evident that the current gasoline subsidy is fiscally unsustainable, said Dr. Muda Yusuf, chief executive officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Business.
However, the transition from the current pricing system to a completely or partially deregulated arrangement must be handled intelligently. It is a complex problem that, if not handled strategically, might present a significant challenge to the government.
“The truth is that public opinion does not favor removing gasoline subsidies or dereglementing the price of petroleum products.
Curiously, some elites are not convinced by the argument for eliminating subsidies.
“There is a possibility of a social and political reaction if the policy shift is not well handled, which could be challenging to contain. Without a question, there is a strong corporate and economic argument in favor of eliminating gasoline subsidies.
Yet, the social and political conditions are just as important. The subsidies cannot continue, hence it is necessary to involve the relevant parties more quickly to develop a strategy for a sustainable, practical, and realistic policy transition. The topic should also be social and political as well as economic.
“We must act quickly to deal with the ongoing restoration of our refineries. Domestic petroleum product refining will reduce the already expensive cost of petroleum products, which is partly due to our vulnerability to fluctuations in the price of crude oil throughout the world and currency depreciation. To achieve early completion, support for the Dangote Refinery is also necessary.
