By Our Reporter
Reactions have continued to trail Federal Government’s recent increase in the pump price of fuel for the third time in barely two months this year.
Organised Labour said Wednesday that the latest surge in the price of petrol was tempting the resilience of the Nigerian masses.
It warned the Federal Government against an unexpected unpalatable reaction of the people to the frequent hike in the price of the product.
Labour equally advised the government to be wary of the silence of Nigerians in the midst of excruciating hardship and misery being inflicted on them, saying even a goat can bite when pushed to the wall.
The incessant increases in the cost of petrol had led inadvertently to a hike in transportation, production costs, household goods and drastically reduced the purchasing power of the average Nigerian worker.
Chemical and Non-Metallic Products Employer’s Federation, CANMPEF, also acknowledged that the situation has led to a decline in the income of the average Nigerian worker, and called for urgent action on the part of government to reverse the trend.
Addressing members and guests at the 45th Annual General Meeting, AGM, of CANMPEF in Lagos, Wednesday, the President of the employers’ federation, Mr Devakumar Edwin, lamented: “Following the liberalization of the foreign exchange (FX) market, PMS importers are embattled with looming scarcity and sourcing challenges of FX which continues to increase the selling cost of PMS.
Similarly, addressing the 8th Quadrennial Delegates’ Conference of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM, yesterday in Abuja, President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero, said: “Today, the nation’s macro-economic indices are all heading down south without any letting.
Electricity tariffs have gone up, making power almost inaccessible to a greater number of our citizens.
“Petrol prices have gone through the roof and are nearly impossible for an average Nigerian to afford.
Transportation has become difficult, leading to levels of food scarcity and hunger never seen in the country before now.
‘’That unfortunately has become our lot and that has become what majority of Nigerians look up to us to ameliorate.
“We need your unity and your strength if we are to creatively engage these forces and make governance work for the greater number of workers and people. As it is today, our choices are very limited. It is either we find a way to collectively overcome the forces that are bent on keeping us down as a people or we completely surrender to them and wallow in hopelessness.
“The forces of neo-liberalism must be challenged and the trade union movement remains the only viable force in Nigeria and in the world that can creatively engage it and mitigate its stranglehold on our nation.
“We must offer strong counterpoise to their prebendal logic and proffer newer arguments to triumph over their quest for profit at the detriment of the social will. It is only by remaining strong and united that we can hope to achieve that.
‘’It is sad but we cannot afford to keep our public refineries shut while still importing refined petroleum products. We demand a review of our salaries instead of its eroded values. We must together demand the re-commissioning of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries in keeping with the agreement we had with the Federal Government on October 15, 2023.”
With additional reports from the Vanguard