Politics

Fuel Subsidy: NLC Replies Tinubu’s Campaign Organisation Over Peter Obi’s Stance

Published

2 years ago

September 18, 2022

Editor

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has insisted that Nigeria’s public refineries must be made to work and the country must stop the importation of refined petrol before it can consider the removal of petrol subsidy.

The NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, said this in a statement signed and made available to journalists on Saturday in Abuja.

The NLC statement was an apparent reaction to an earlier one by Festus Keyamo, a spokesperson for the presidential campaign of the ruling party, APC. Mr Keyamo had tasked the NLC to explain its stance on the statement by Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, that he would remove petrol subsidy if elected.

Mr Wabba said the NLC had painstaking processes and had articulated a Nigerian Workers’ Charter of Demands which the organised labour would use to engage the political process.

“A major demand in the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands is that our local public refineries must work.

“We have also demanded that we must stop 100 per cent importation of refined petroleum products.

“The NLC and indeed the labour movement in Nigeria had over many decades been vehemently consistent that the only way to address the issue of the so-called petrol subsidies is to get our refineries to work.

“The logic is very simple: it is not economical to buy from abroad at very expensive prices a product that a country like ours can easily produce at home,’’ he said.

Mr Wabba said the NLC wanted a ‘production economy’ for Nigeria in the handling of its natural resources.

He said that the congress believed that the rescue of Nigeria from the current path of a ‘consumption economy’ to a ‘production economy’ was the only way to resolve Nigeria’s economic nightmares of massive depletion of scarce foreign exchange reserves.

He said this would resolve the continuous devaluation of the Naira, significant jobs reduction, poverty and downturn in the living standards of the people.

“In a determined effort to popularise the positions in the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands, the NLC and TUC at the behest of the Labour Party on Monday and Tuesday hosted a National Retreat of the leadership cadres in our movement.

“At the retreat, the Labour Party and Organised Labour in Nigeria adopted and mainstreamed the Workers Charter of Demands into the Manifesto of the Labour Party.

“This is in line with our persuasion that issue-based campaign anchored on the manifesto of political parties should drive Nigeria’s political process.

“If any political party goes around saying that they plan to sell our refineries, remove subsidies, they should be ready to defend such stance to Nigerians at the campaigns,” he added.

Mr Wabba said the NLC’s position had not changed but only “got amplified.”

NLC and Peter Obi
Mr Obi, a capitalist who believes in massive roles for the private sector in the economy, has been careful not to directly oppose the stance of the NLC on petrol subsidy.

In his recent interview with CNN, the Labour Party candidate criticised the Buhari administration for not repairing Nigeria’s four universities.

He said there was no reason the country’s refineries should not be put to use. He also pledged to encourage the private sector to build more refineries.

“There is no reason why we should not encourage the private sector to build refineries and operate them. And they are not rocket science. You can use today to decide to remove fuel subsidies and use the resources to support critical areas of production,” Mr Obi said.

Presidential aspirant Peter Obi.
Presidential aspirant Peter Obi.
Mr Obi, who is enjoying growing popularity, especially among young, social media savvy Nigerians, also enjoys the support of the NLC.

On Monday, Mr Wabba, speaking at a retreat of the LP, pledged to mobilise all members of NLC to support Mr Obi, who has consistently maintained that fuel subsidy must be removed.

Fuel subsidy is going to be one of the main issues the next administration will have to contend with considering that the current administration plans to only finance subsidies till June 2023.

According to the government, it will take over N6 trillion to finance it in 2023.

NLC must come clean on subsidy
Earlier in his statement, Mr Keyamo, who is also the minister of state for labour and employment, said NLC must state its position on fuel subsidy removal.

He noted that the position of the labour union leaders must be consistent with the position of the workers.

“Before adopting Mr Peter Obi as its candidate, did the leadership of the NLC have a discussion with him on the issue of removal of fuel subsidy?

“If they did have that discussion, did Mr Peter Obi agree to back down on the issue of subsidy removal? Was that a basis for supporting him? If he did not back down on the issue, did organised Labour agree with him?

“If no such discussion is held, does it mean the leadership of the NLC now fully supports the removal of fuel subsidy? Or will that not be reckless of the NLC to adopt a candidate without thoroughly interrogating the candidate on his policies as they affect the Nigerian workers or the masses? The NLC must make a public statement and come clean on this,” Mr Keyamo said.

Mr Keyamo argued that “if the excuse is that Mr Peter Obi has said that the money saved will be used in other critical areas of the economy, how is that different from what Buhari’s Government is also saying?”

The 2023 race is believed to be a four-horse race between Bola Tinubu of APC, Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Mr Obi.
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Related Topics:NLC Peter Obi Tinubu Campaign Organization

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Politics

Edo Labour Party Suspends Youth Leader

Published

9 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Editor

Leadership of the Edo State chapter of Labour Party says it has suspended Youth Leader of the party, Ken Omusi, over an alleged invasion of the party secretariat in Benin City on Thursday.

Omosi, alongside other youths were said to have invaded the party secretariat, sacked the the Kelly Ogbaloi-led State Working Committee and declared himself (Omosi) as the acting chairman of the party.

He further claimed that over the last three months, not less than 350 members had been suspended on the WhatsApp platform of the party by the state chairman without the backing of the party.

While announcing the dissolution of the executives of the party, Omusi called on the national leadership of the party in Abuja to ratify their actions and resolutions.

But addressing newsmen in Benin, chairman of the party, Ogbaloi, while condemning the invasion by the Youth Leader, noted that Omusi has since been suspended for anti-party activities.

Ogbaloi added that the State Working Committee, in the spirit of brotherhood ahead of the governorship election, has lifted the suspension earlier slammed on some members.

According to him, a reconciliation committee would be set up by the state executive to make peace with any of the aggrieved members before the election.

He, however, appealed to members of the party to leverage on the forthcoming new voter registration exercise to expand the voters base as well as ensure broader participation in the electoral process.

“A robust membership drive shall be launched to attract new members and reconcile with the disenchanted individuals who have legitimate grievances”, he added.

He equally urged all members of the party, as well eligible voters in the state, to rally behind the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Barrister Olumide Akpata and his running mate, Prince Yusuf Asamah Kadiri, in the election

Politics

Rivers Crisis: Why Gov Fubura Got Into ‘Trouble’ – Secondus

Published

11 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Editor

Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said Rivers State Governor, Similaye Fubura, was being haunded by his political opponents for daring to prevent the looting of the state.

He explained that the political crisis in the state was orchestrated by those who demand unfettered access to the finances of the state a demand the governor has refused to accept.

Secondus who spoke in Abuja, on Saturday, also accused the immediate past Governor of the state and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of being the brain behind Fubura’s political troubles.

He explained that Wike’s conduct, utterances and unrelenting fued with the governor, has cast the state in bad light.

Secondus said, “Wike has been Governor for eight years and is now Minister of the FCT. As Minister, what, has he (Wike) attracted in terms of Federal projects to our dear State since he assumed office? Perhaps misery, grief, and anguish. As Governor he had supervised the exit of investors from the state due to his draconian policies.

“He had on an occasion mentioned that he is capable of causing crisis and he is not far from the truth, as he is causing an unfathomable crisis in Rivers State.

“Mrs Patience Jonathan and I worked for his emergence as governor, have we ever breathed down his neck? Instead what we get is disrespect and insults.

“ I can attest to Dr. Odili’s performance as Governor being the State PDP chairman then. I hasten to say without any fear of contradiction that he is the best governor of Rivers State in this dispensation.

“Wike claims that our revered Dr. Odili made him but in his characteristic manner, he publicly ridiculed the Odili’s without any justification. He owes them an unreserved apology and he should do so publicly.

“These media attacks against the political leaders of Rivers State are unwarranted and diversionary.

“For the records you should account for the three hundred million dollars($300m) you collected from the NNPC for the Ogoni Oil well and the cash refund made by the Saipem oil and gas company and subsequently account for your eight-year tenure of over N4Trillion realized, mismanaged and squandered. Rather than trying to cover your inadequacies through media attacks.”

These attacks, he stressed, might dovetail into a national crisis if not properly checked.

While appealing to President Bola Tinubu to reign in the FCT minister, Secondus added, “I call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prevail on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to stop overheating the Rivers State political atmosphere and allow Fubara to work. Whatever Wike thinks he is It must be stressed that Rivers people made him.”

Politics

Edo Guber: Labour Party Names Campaign Council

Published

11 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Editor

The Edo State chapter of Labour Party, LP, has named the party’s campaign council ahead of the governorship election slated for September 21st, 2024.

The state chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi, disclosed this after a stakeholders’ meeting comprising members of the State Working Committee, senatorial, local government leaders and executives across the 18 local government areas of the state.

The meeting which was held at the party’s secretariat in Benin City on Saturday was also attended by governorship candidate of the party, Barrister Olumide Akpata and his running mate, Prince Yusuf Asamah Kadiri.

Ogbaloi said members of the campaign council would be inaugurated on Monday, May 13, 2024.

He said the campaign council would be led by Reverend Sam Omede as the Director-General, with Dr Ehikioya Agboga as Deputy Director as well as deputy director general for Edo central senatorial district.

Other members of the council are Senator Ned Imasuen, representing Edo South senatorial district in the Senate, Hon Esosa Iyawe and Hon Murphy Osaro Omoruyi, representing Oredo and Egor/Ikpoba Okha federal constituencies, respectively, in the National Assembly.

“In preparation for the upcoming election, we have meticulously selected individuals of impeccable character to lead the State Campaign Council and local government campaign committees,” he said.