BY EDMOND ODOK – As the pump price of petrol hits an all-time high of ₦1,430 per litre amid deepening poverty nationwide, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to urgently approve emergency palliatives and wage awards to Nigerian workers.
The Congress said as a matter of priority, the government must to introduce measures to cushion the impact of the rising price of petrol and ensure immediate sale of crude oil to local refineries in Naira.
In a statement on Wednesday, President of NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero, warned that the rising cost of petrol would further worsen the economic hardship facing Nigerians, noting that increases in transportation costs typically trigger higher prices of food, rent, school fees and other essential goods and services across the country.
Ajaero said the latest increase came at a time when government pressure on oil marketers to reduce pump prices in response to lower international crude prices was beginning to produce results.
He further said, “As a nation, and as a people endowed with enormous fossil resources, we are deserving of a certain level of protection or buffer against the gales from the Gulf, and indeed, other gales”, arguing that Nigeria’s status as an oil-producing country means it should be able to provide some protection against international oil market shocks regarding the latest surge that has been linked to the resurgence of conflict in the Gulf.
Urging the Federal Government should immediately introduce measures to shield households and businesses from the impact of the higher fuel prices, the Labour leader said, “There is nothing wrong with the government subsidising the needs of citizens, especially in emergencies like this”.
According to him, other oil-producing countries are always ready to introduce different forms of intervention or palliatives to protect their citizens from the effects of the current global energy crisis and Nigeria cannot be doing things differently from best global practices.
Going by Nigeria’s latest fuel price spike, reports indicate that the development is rewiring daily transit, having pushed pump prices to ₦1,430 per litre in urban centres, and much more in less accessible locations.
Forefront News checks confirmed that the economic strain is becoming so severe that the luxury of driving or taking a commercial bus is slipping out of reach for many ordinary Nigerians.
Emerging reports further said in a desperate bid to cut cost of transportation, there is a growing wave of commuters and car owners who have taken to the pavement, enduring long, exhausting walks just to survive the price hike.
