FG Removed Fuel Subsidy To Pay Salary, Service Debts  -TUC Leader

The Deputy National President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Chief Chika Onuegbu, has alleged that the Federal Government removed subsidy on petroleum products to enable it pay salaries and service foreign debts.
He also alleged that 99 per cent of the Federal Government’s earnings were being used to service foreign debts.
Onuegbu made the allegations at the weekend, while speaking with journalists in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the only reason why government opted for petroleum subsidy removal was because there was no money to pay salaries and service debts at the same time.
He noted that the removal of petroleum subsidy without developing critical infrastructures was causing Nigerians untold hardship, explaining that the organised labour had advised the government to put in place critical infrastructures before removing the subsidy.
“We thank God that the 5,000 capacity Water Smith Modular Refinery has been commissioned in Imo State. We want to see government give free hand to private and other refineries to thrive.
“The Federal Government’s earnings have reduced by 60 percent as the Minister of State for Petroleum has rightly said, and government is no longer in the business of fixing pump price.
“Who then is responsible for announcing change in price, which the Petroleum Pricing Regulating Agency is supposed to do? NNPC now does it because it is the sole importer, and yet government is saying that they are no more fixing pump price.
“Labour has the capacity to ambush government, but what we are looking at is the economy. Hardship is on the increase, and that is why we are engaging government to discuss.
“Strike at this time will stiffen the economy, and the alternative to strike is dialogue. We need trust for us to believe government, and we want government to come up with reasonable decision to convince labour.
“TUC and NLC strike will cripple the nation’s economy, and can not be sustainable for one week because some people will die, and all along, labour and government have been engaging in this where every strike by labour will only cause a little shift from government position to a middle ground with labour, but yet, the price continues to increase”, he said.
The former National Industrial Relations Officer of PENGASSAN, who is also an Economist by training, posited that embarking on strike now would have adverse effects on the economy, saying Nigeria is already facing the twin evil of increase in cost of living and inflation, which he referred to as “stagflation”.

By: Corlins Walter