Subsidy Removal: NLC Knocks APC Over Oil Policies …Spoils For ‘War’

Wife of Rivers State Governor, Justice Suzzette Nyesom Wike (right), admiring the New Year baby born to Mr and Mrs Harrison at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital on New Year Day. With her is Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof Aaron Ojule (left).

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed disappointments with what it called the confusing pronouncement of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains on the government’s oil policies even as it  again reiterated its resolve to resist any attempt by the Federal Government to either deregulated the petroleum sector or remove oil subsidy through any illegal process.
The Congress has also called on government to take urgent steps to constitute the board of Petroleum Products Price Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) . in accordance with the law noting that the Minister of Petroleum  has been acting and making pronouncements on pump prices even without any input from the regulatory body.
In a statement signed by the Secretary to NLC,  Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, the congress equally expressed disappointment on some statements from some of the chieftains of the ruling Party, All Progressives Congress (APC) on some burning issues in the Petroleum sector.
The statement read in parts ” In the past few weeks, we have heard discordant tunes from government officials and chieftains of the ruling  APC on what the future portends for the prices of petroleum products and the management of the subsidy scheme.
“Party chieftains who supported and encouraged the massive protests against subsidy removal in 2012 are now preaching the inevitability of subsidy removal! The Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum first announced that come next year the price of petrol will revert to ¦ 97 per litre and that subsidy will be phased out.
“Two days, thereafter, he denied this and stated that what he said was that the price will operate within a band of ¦ 87 to ¦ 97 and that this did not mean removing the subsidy. The same minister now says that the price of petrol will now be ¦ 85 in January signifying the deregulation of the sector ”
According to the NLC all these statements and counter statement are designed to confuse Nigerians and pave the way for deregulation of petrol prices through the back door.
Admitting the fact that as long as Niger continues to depend on imported refined products, deregulation and the abandonment of a subsidy scheme will unleash hardship on Nigerians but also noted that In any case, the determination of petroleum prices are constitutionally that of the PPPRA .
The Congress also alleged that even as by law, the board of PPPRA is made up of stakeholders. None of the contradictory prices the minister is throwing up is a product of the agency and that the board of the PPPRA has not operated for over two years.
NLC said it still stands by its earlier resolve and alerted all state Councils to mobilize for that.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi