The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has warned the Senate against plans to increase the pump price of petroleum products in the country.
The President of the TUC, Mr. Bala Kaigama, and the Secretary General, Mr. Musa-Lawal Ozigi, said in a statement on Friday that the TUC was opposed to the decision bring in ‘assorted charges and surcharges’ to fund a proposed National Roads Funds.
They warned that the organized Labour would resist any attempt to toy with the fuel pump price stressing that its patience had been stretched to its limit.
Kaigama and Ozigi said that the TUC was also opposed to the plans to sell the nation’s stake in some oil and gas assets.
The Labour leaders lamented that lawmakers and political officer holders had become rather insensitive to the plight of the suffering Nigerian citizenry.
“The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria wishes to warn the Senate against further plans to impoverish Nigerians with the recent move to hike the prices of fuel, diesel, and even factor in other assorted charges and surcharges ‘to fund the Proposed National Roads Fund’.
“The Congress is also against the proposed sale or reduction of the nation’s stakes in some oil and gas assets. We are surprised that Nigerian lawmakers and other political office holders have become numb to our pains, agonies, and miseries. This is painful.”
They said that it was rather sad that political leaders who are not bordered by the increasing spate of armed robbery, and killings perpetrated by the Badoo Cultists could only think of fuel pump price increase.
Kaigama and Ozigi called on the President and well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Senate to drop the provocative idea in the interest of the country.
“Well, the Congress hereby warns and calls on the presidency and well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Senate and everyone behind the ungodly moves to drop them. They will be resisted. Our patience is over-stretched and we would be able to contain it anymore. A word is enough for the wise”, they warned.
