President
Trade Union Congress, Comrade Bobo Kaigama; President of Nigeria Labour
Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and Deputy President of the NLC, Comrade
Peters Adeyemi . PHOTO: NAN
• TUC to join protest, issues ultimatum
• NAEE advocates passage of competition law
Indications emerged yesterday that the labour movement in the country
may begin an indefinite strike action and protests against the petrol
deregulation policy at exactly midnight of Monday.
This comes as the Nigerian Association of Energy Economics (NAEE)
urged the federal government to pass Competition Law to check price
collusion.
It added that the introduction of liberalisation of the downstream
sector would enhance the viability of the sector and boost establishment
of refineries by investors and multi-national oil companies.
The Guardian gathered in Abuja yesterday that both the Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), as well as their civil
society allies are meeting in the federal capital this morning to
harmonise their positions and put finishing touches to the national
strike action.
A source close to the labour movement told The Guardian that while
the National Executive Council (NEC) members of the NLC were already in
Abuja, those of TUC and members of the civil society were still in
Lagos, but are expected to fly into Abuja this morning to finalise the
arrangements.
The source explained: “Organising a national strike is what the
labour movement and civil society have considerable experience in. There
is no way a national strike can be called just a day or two after the
announcement of the new price was made.
“We need to first hold the relevant organs meeting and then hold on for our civil society allies to also come on board.
“The NEC meetings of both the NLC and TUC took place in different
cities, which will require traveling. We are now expecting TUC and our
civil society allies to come into Abuja tomorrow (today), so that we are
able to harmonise our positions.
“Those who will travel also need one day to travel back and mobilise
unions for the strike action. Therefore, we need Saturday (today) and
Sunday (tomorrow) to put all these logistics together.
“Switching off the crude oil loading terminals and other technical
details in the oil sector need time to do and that applies to our
colleagues in the aviation sector. We need a few days to perfect all
these logistics ends. That is why we think that Sunday night at exactly
12:00am is the most appropriate time to begin the action.
“That is the position as at now.”
Indeed, the NLC postponed a media briefing that was earlier scheduled
to hold yesterday at 4:00pm to 12noon today ostensibly to give room for
the expanded meeting of all the stakeholders scheduled for this
morning.
Meanwhile, NAEE president, Prof Wumi Iledare, argued that a credible
and strong commitment by the government to deregulate the sector would
be the beginning of the reversal of the fortune of the sector that has
been crippled over the years by the overbearing government
interventions.
Iledare, who spoke in Abuja yesterday on the implications of the
deregulation policy, however, cautioned against government interference
with the price.
He submitted that the template of the Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) must be calibrated with adjustment for a
market dictated margin and other static input factors reviewed with less
sentiment.
Iledare stated that while the removal of subsidy would bring
immediate pain, it would ultimately boost the economic prosperity of the
country.
He said: “In the long run, this step would add significant value to
the economy, in terms of trillions of naira to build the national
economy for infrastructure, capacity building and development.
“It will increase government access to funds to develop
infrastructure; decrease smuggling activities, especially to
neighbouring countries; increase free market operations; spur the
rehabilitation and revamping of the local refineries; and reduce
declining fortune of Nigerians in the long run.”
He also urged the federal government to pass the competition law to
ensure that significant market power does not collude to influence
market prices.
“The exercise of market vigorous oversight is not consistent with an
efficient market system. Government must ensure that all forms of
collusion to influence market outcomes are promptly dealt with.”
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has announced it would join
the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to protest the hike in the price of
petrol.
In a statement signed by the its president, Bobboi Kaigama, at the
end of its emergency meeting in Lagos last night, TUC also gave
government up till Wednesday, May18, to invite Labour for genuine
dialogue or face its wrath.
The communiqué issued at the end of the meeting read in part: “The
NEC-in-Session rejected in its entirety the astronomical increase in the
price of petrol from N86.50 per litre to N145 per litre and demanded
that the Government should revert to the old price regime with immediate
effect.
“The NEC in session gave the Federal Government up till Wednesday,
18th May, 2016 to invite the leadership of labour for discussion aimed
at determining the appropriate way forward.”
Ebonyi
state government yesterday banned the movement of cattle into the state
by herdsmen, saying that there is tension in the state over activities
of the herdsmen in the country. Governor David Umahi disclosed this
during a security meeting with security chiefs in the state at the state
Police Command, noting that the state will enact laws that will
restrict movement of cattles and other animals such as goat and chicken.
