NLC under fire over new increase in fuel pump price

The Nigerian Labour Congress under the leadership of Ayuba Wabba has been described as the most inefficient labour union in the history of organized labour in the country.

This is coming on the heels of the latest increase in the pump price of PMS, otherwise known as petrol by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) from the current N165 per litre to N212 on Thursday.

The PPPRA on Thursday night announced the new increment on its website, explaining that it was due to the market determinants and importation costs. It fixed the lower band of the new fuel price at N209.61 per litre and upper band at N212.61 per litre.

Reacting, Deji Adeyanju, the convener of Concerned Nigerians in a tweet described the inaction of the NLC as a shame. According to him, Wabba is the most useless NLC presidency in the history of Nigeria.

The popular Abuja based activist in a post on his Twitter page wrote: “You are the most useless NLC president in the history of Nigeria.

“Six fuel price increases, no single protest or mass action nationwide. A shame. Useless NLC will not do anything about the fuel price hike.”

Adeyanju further described President Muhammadu Buhari as a ‘heartless’ president for increasing the fuel price to N212 per liter.

“Nigerian government hikes fuel price to N212 per litre. Change is here indeed. Buhari is just heartless,” he added.

The first adjustment under President Buhari occurred on May 11, 2016, when the price was raised by 66.67 percent to N145.

This was followed by downward review March last year, to N125 following drop in oil prices in the global market and deregulation of the downstream sector of the oil industry and hence removal of subsidy.

The price was raised again in May 2020 to a band of between N121.50 to N123.50 per litre for petrol. This was followed by another upward review in July   to a band of N140.80 – N143.80 per litre.

In August, the price was readjusted to N148 – N150, and further to the price of N162.44 per litre in December following continued rise in crude price.