NLC Announces Nationwide Protest Over Subsidy Removal

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Friday said it will hold a nationwide protest against the planned removal of fuel subsidy on January 27, 2022.

This was revealed in a communiqué issued and signed by the NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja, after a National Executive Council meeting held at the Labour House in Abuja on Friday, the Labour Union said the planned removal of fuel subsidy was extremely insensitive to the acute hardship being experienced by Nigerians.

The union asked the President Muhmammadu Buhari regime to promote local capacity to refine petroleum products for domestic use.

“Pursuant to its rejection and resistance of further increase in the price of petrol, to organise protest rallies in all the 36 states of the federation on January 27, 2022 which would culminate in the submission of protest letters to all the 36 state governors,” the communiqué issued by NLC after its Friday’s National Executive Council meeting read.

The union in the communiqué disclosed that the January 27 state rallies would be followed by a national protest on February 1, 2022, in Abuja.

“…and in case the government decides to announce new petrol prices before the proposed protests, the protest will kick off instantly and without any other further notice in every state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory,” it read further.

The Buhari’s regime in November said plans are underway to remove fuel subsidy and provide “deserving” Nigerians with a N5,000 monthly transport allowance.

Finance minister Zainab Ahmed explained that the continued subsidy in the oil sector was unsustainable and economically disingenuous.

However, the labour union immediately rejected FG’s plans to remove fuel subsidy, with Mr Wabba describing as “comical”, the bait by the government to pay 40 million Nigerians N5,000 as palliative, to cushion the effect of the astronomical increase in the price of petrol.

Mr Wabba said that the amount involved in what he called “queer initiative“ was far more than the money government claimed to spend currently on fuel subsidy.