…Says NLC is wrong
The Democratic Front (TDF) on Thursday, debunked claims by the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, that President Bola Tinubu deceived Labour into accepting the N70,000 Minimum Wage, instead of further increases in prices of Petroleum products.
In a statement signed by Danjuma Muhammad, Chairman and Wale Adebayo, Secretary, TDF maintained that the President could not have been emphatic and decisive on the pump price of fuel in a deregulated market.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), while reacting to the increase in price of Petrol to N865 per litre on Tuesday, stated that the President deceived Labour into accepting the option of N70,000 as minimum wage, instead of an increase in the price of Petrol.
Following the increase, the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC called on the federal government to reverse the planned implementation of the increase in the price of the Premium Motor Spirit PMS
NLC, in the five-point demands that followed, said the various organs of the Union would meet to take further action if the government fails to heed its demands
“We demand the immediate reversal of the latest increase in the pump of PMS across the country; The Union also called on the federal government to release all those incarcerated or being prosecuted on the assumption of having participated in the recent protests;
Other demands include a halt to the indiscriminate arrest and detention of citizens on trumped-up charges, reversal of the 250% tariff hike in electricity, as well as a stop to the hijack of the duties of the Ministry of Labour and Employment;
The NLC also called for an end to policies that engender hunger and insecurity; as well as a halt to the government’s culture of terror, fear and lying.
“We are guided by our belief in our country and the need to secure and sustain its sovereignty, integrity and welfare of the people.
“In the coming days, the appropriate organs of the Congress will be meeting to take appropriate decisions which will be made public.”
Ajaero said the NLC is ” filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit PMS,
According to him, ” One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as the national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient but the TDF, in their reaction, stated that Labour and government mutually negotiated and agreed on the minimum wage.
The TDF claim also reinforces earlier denial by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media
According to him, ” I at through the two meetings President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange of fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians”.
TDF said: “Once again, we are disappointed with the often repeated wrong postulations of the Joe Ajaero-led Nigerian Labour Congress against the government and person of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that most of what they say can not add up.
“In a rather disheartening and incoherent manner, Mr Joe Ajaero signed a statement alleging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu betrayed the Labour Congress with the recent increase in the pump price of PMS by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The negotiation of the minimum wage was never debated as a condition to how much fuel would be sold.
“It is pertinent to state that President Tinubu never hid his desire or pretended over his preference to make the ideals and philosophy of a liberal free-market economy the focal point of his economic transformation agenda
“He announced an end to the age-long petroleum subsidy regime in an unprecedented fashion, during his inaugural speech on 29th of May 2023, to herald the commencement of the end of state-controlled economic policies and protectionism in the Nigeria investment ecosystem.
“From our knowledge of the President’s enviable background as an experienced private sector player who majored in the oil and gas industry, we believe that he will not, for whatever reason, give personal guarantee or assurance to anybody or group, on a specific price of fuel in Nigeria, knowing fully well that in the absence of government subsidy, such prices are solely determined by the unpredictable dynamics of market forces.
“We therefore view the accusations against the President by Joe Ajaero as untrue and a ridiculous attempt to blackmail the President.
“It is all an attempt to divert public attention from a security investigation and an ongoing trial that directly links a foreigner accused of committing treasonable offences against the Nigerian state to the NLC Secretariat in Abuja.
“The factors that necessitated the recent hike in PMS price by NNPCL are not opaque, as it has been comprehensively explained by the organization itself.
“We understandably note that the withdrawal of fuel subsidy by government has compelled the NNPCL to respond to the dictates of market forces, to cope with the logistics of importing refined petroleum into the country.
“The increase in the pump price is to accommodate the landing cost of the product.” The group, said they expect fuel price to crash with the expected infusion of locally refined fuel from Dangote Refinery into the Nigerian market
“We at TDF expect every responsible and patriotic organization in the country, NLC inclusive, to focus attention on the new oil sheriff in town, that is, Dangote and other private refineries in Nigeria to ensure that all the actions and incentives deployed by President Tinubu to encourage local refining succeed.
“This is the right path for the Joe Ajaero-led NLC to follow if truly they are sincere about reducing fuel price in the country. “We want Nigerians to know that the downstream petroleum sector is currently in transition mode from the era of imported fuel consumption to the utilisation of locally refined fuel.
“For us, the increase in fuel price is a true reflection of the market situation as obtained in the petroleum importation business.
They also expressed the belief that with the far-reaching measures put in place by President Tinubu to encourage local refining in Nigeria, the pump price of PMS will crash significantly, when the Dangote refinery begins to roll out its products into the market in the next few hours.
“It is on this note that we see the threat by Mr Ajaero to resist the increase in pump price of petroleum, as self-serving, sadistic and unpatriotic.
“We also condemn and vehemently reject the emotive use of the N70,000 national minimum wage to hoodwink the unsuspecting public to believe that he and his egocentric colleagues mean well for the nation,” it added.
