The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC says any attempt by the Federal Government to increase the price of premium motor spirit, PMS as an offshoot of a planned subsidy removal will be heavily resisted.
Disclosing this position of the NLC and other labour bodies on Nigeria Info’s Morning Crossfire, the Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Onyeka Chris said the government's post-subsidy plan had not been officially communicated to the NLC.
The federal government had announced it secured an $800 million World Bank grant to be distributed to fifty million vulnerable Nigerians as palliative ahead of subsidy removal in June 2023.
Onyeka claims the move is being initiated by elements within the government who wants to “cash out”.
He also revealed that the post-subsidy era plan by the government is not a product of a tripartite committee set up to address issues of petroleum subsidy removal noting that the committee had become inactive because its report is yet to be acted on.
“Any attempt to increase the price of petroleum products will set Nigeria on fire” he added, stressing that Labour will not support any policy of the government that will increase the sufferings of Nigerians.
“If the meaning of subsidy is to increase the price of petroleum product, then we will work against it, we will fight it” he reiterated.
Asked if the NLC may consider legal means to tackle the challenge, Onyeka declined, saying “It’s dead on arrival”.
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