Facts emerged on Wednesday night how Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at a meeting held at the Aguda House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, deceived 12 state governors, principal officers of the national assembly led by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogora as well as representatives of labour on the removal of subsidy on petroleum products
The new increase in petroleum pump prices announced by Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, minister of petroleum resources, on Wednesday, is coming on the heels of the outrageous and wicked increased electricity tariff also announced by the government amidst no power supply in the country.
A credible source at the Wednesday’s meeting, who spoke to our correspondent, on the condition of anonymity, said no decision was reached by the 12 governors, lawmakers and labour on the way forward and that due to the inability of the VP to manage the meeting it became rowdy and had to be suspended.
The source told our correspondent that no meaningful decision was arrived at during the meeting as Osinbajo lost control of the meeting which was expected to have taken a firm decision on the way forward out of the petroleum crisis.
“When we met last night (Tuesday) we decided to reconvene this morning (Wednesday) with an agreement to take a decision on the subsidy and the deregulation of the petroleum sector but the Vice President instead of sticking to our earlier decision to allow the minister of petroleum resources, the chairman of the governors forum and himself to speak, he threw open the discussion and it became rowdy and representatives of labour became uncomfortable to speak. So they have asked that they be given time to consult on the matter. So the VP had no other option than to close the meeting’” the source who spoke to our correspondent, on condition of anonymity said adding that “we were all shocked to hear from the petroleum minister that a new price regime has been announced and that the decision was taken in the presence of all of us”.
“This is a betrayal of trust and it’s unfortunate. We did not agree on the new pump price or the announcement although we believe that something has to be done to alleviate the sufferings of Nigeria but no decision was taken at that meeting. We did not give the VP or Kachikwu the go-ahead to announce anything,” the source said.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in a swift reaction dissociated itself from the Wednesday’s increase describing it “as an act of insensitivity and impunity”.
The NLC in a statement by Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, General Secretary, said; “The unilateral increase in prices of petroleum products today by government represents the height of insensitivity and impunity and shall be resisted by the Nigeria Labour Congress and its civil society allies.
Also, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) said they would meet in Calabar, the Cross River State capital between May 12 and 13 to deliberate on the new pump price announced by Federal Government.
Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, who is an ardent critic of the Buhari’s government, condemned the increment from N86.50 to N145 of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol, describing it as insensitive and demonstration of the level of hatred the President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) government had for Nigerians. – Frontier news.
