TUC, 79 others plan protests, strike over fuel price, electricity tariff hikes

The Trade Union Congress and 79 other civil society organisations and labour unions under the aegis of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond codenamed ASCAB, are set to hold nationwide protests and strike action next week over the increment of the fuel price and electricity tariff.

It was learnt that the Nigeria Labour Congress, which is part of ASCAB, was still holding a meeting as of Friday evening to determine its next line of action.

Apart from NLC and TUC, some other affiliate members of ASCAB include United Action for Democracy, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Journalists for Democratic Rights, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Services Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Civil Liberties Organisation (Bayelsa), and COPEAIDS Foundation, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, among many others.

Confirming the development to one of our correspondents on the telephone on Friday, Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), said it was evil of the government to increase the prices of essential commodities during a pandemic.

He said while other countries were making life easier for their citizens through tax cuts and palliatives, the Nigerian government was doing the exact opposite.

The activist said, “There is going to be a general strike and protest. We will fix a date after a meeting this evening. ASCAB is meeting today (Friday) with TUC leadership and about 79 others have indicated that they will take part in the national day of action against these anti-people developments. It will be next week but the date has not been picked yet.

“Other nations are giving cash to their citizens, cancelling rents but Nigeria is imposing taxes and all other levies on its citizens. We will fight against it.”

Falana said the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, which announced the fuel price increase, had no power to do so.

He also faulted claims by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, that there was nothing the government could do to intervene in the new petrol price

The senior advocate said Section 6 of the Petroleum Act gives the Minister of Petroleum the powers to determine the price of petroleum products and this had been affirmed by the courts.

Falana said, “The PPMC has no powers under the law to fix fuel price. Section 6 of the Petroleum Act makes it clear that it is the minister that can determine the price of petroleum products and the courts have affirmed this.”

Meanwhile, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria says the recent hike in fuel price was not caused by the global price of crude oil but a deliberate devaluation of the naira by the Federal Government.

Sylva had stated that the recent rise in fuel price was caused by the increase in global crude oil prices.

However, the PENGASSAN President said the recent hikes were caused by the Federal Government.

He said, “What are the drivers of the pump price? The driver of the pump price is the currency exchange. What has necessitated this today is not actually because of the fact that the product pricing is increasing internationally. The crude oil price relatively in the last six months has been hovering between $40 and $45 per barrel.

“But what has necessitated this is actually the devaluation. Today, we observe that in the last three months, we have had a 25 per cent devaluation of our currency. The government did it deliberately to have more money.

“They now have more money having done the devaluation and are now passing the burden to us because petroleum is not refined in Nigeria but abroad and everything is priced in dollars. The cost of crude oil, labour cost and all other costs that go into it are priced in dollars.

“So, by the time you bring it to Nigeria and ask us to pay in naira which has been devalued, by the time you factor in the 25 per cent devaluation of the naira, you will have to pay more.”

The PENGASSAN boss further stated that the landing cost which had increased was solely determined by the Federal Government and was paid in naira; hence it ought not to have been reviewed upwards.

“For us, this is not the best time. If as a government you have devalued your currency and you are making 25 per cent excess on top of your currency, which is fine, (then) you have more money to pay workers and meet your naira need, it is fine.

“But again, you are telling us that the landing cost has increased in naira. Not necessarily in dollars, and you are also passing that unto the majority of the Nigerian citizens; I think this is double jeopardy and all stakeholders need to engage with the government,” Osifo said.

Jonathan’s subsidy removal better than Buhari’s – PENGASSAN

The PENGASSAN president said the fuel price hike executed by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was worse than that of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Jonathan had in January 2012 removed fuel subsidy which caused nationwide protests, especially in Lagos where thousands of people took to the streets to express their displeasure.

Responding to a question on Friday, however, the PENGASSAN President said removing the subsidy in 2012 was actually a better decision because it would have had less effect on the people.

He said increasing fuel price in 2020 in the middle of the global COVID-19 pandemic and a worsening economy would exacerbate the suffering of Nigerians.

Osifo said, “I think the timing today is even more problematic compared to 2012 because we are battling a pandemic. I can tell you that for a lot of households, their income has diminished; a lot of businesses have been shut down since March.

“I can tell you that today, Nigerians are facing hardship. I believe that 2012 was a bit better than it is today because the pandemic has ravaged the average household in Nigeria. You have seen the recent figures from the National Bureau of Statistics. We are actually in negative Gross Domestic Product. By the next quarter, we could be in recession. This is not the right time to have done this.”

Osun rights’ group gives FG five-day ultimatum to reverse increment

Members of Coalition for Civil Societies in Osun State on Friday stormed streets in protest against the hike in electricity tariff and pump price.

They subsequently gave a five-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to reverse the increment or face mass street protests.

The protest, which started from Freedom Park, Osogbo around 8:30 am, moved to Oke Fia area, and later terminated at Olaiya Junction, where the conveners spoke with journalists.

Members of the civil society groups, the leadership of students’ movements in South-West, and some members of the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, were joined by some artisans in the protest that lasted some hours.

As the protesters, accompanied by the men of the Department of State Services in mufti and policemen, moved through major streets in Osun State capital, traffic flow was disrupted, leading to gridlock.

The participants, who carried placards with the inscriptions such as “Buhari, enough is enough,” “PMB, people are hungry,” chanted anti-government slogans as they moved from street to street.

Speaking during the protest, one of the conveners, Waheed Saka, said Nigerians were experiencing untold hardship under the current regime.

He said, “We are here because Nigerians are angry. Buhari has betrayed the trust of Nigerians. We are here because Buhari has failed Nigerians.

“His decision is putting more pressure on the already pauperised Nigerians. We say no to increase in electricity tariff, we say no to incessant increase in pump price. We say no to the illegal Water Resources Bill that is before the National Assembly.”

Also speaking during the protest, Olatunji Ishola, the Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students, South West Zone, said the students rejected the hike in electricity tariff and pump price.

NURTW, NGO condemn fuel, electricity tariff increments

The Executive Director, Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy, Mr Taiwo Otitolaye, has urged the Federal Government to reverse the current increment in the price of petrol and electricity.

Otitolaye said the hikes were condemnable, adding that the Federal Government was dancing to the dictate of the International Monetary Fund to deregulate the economy of Nigeria.

He said, “The price increase in fuel and electricity is meant to cause hardship for ordinary Nigerians who are already impoverished. The price increase will affect everyone including those in the rural areas.”

Kwara State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Ariwoola, while condemning the increase in fuel price, said it would cause hardship for the people.

Ariwoola lamented that those in the transportation business had yet to get out of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the government added “insult to injury of transport workers by increasing the pump price of fuel.”

He said that the government had previously assured the transport workers that it would reduce the fuel price, adding that the reverse is now the case.

“Government should immediately reverse the price of fuel if it does not want the transport workers to jerk up the transport fare. If the government insists on going with this policy, we in the transport business will have no alternative but to increase the transport fare for the passengers,” he said.    ,,