From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has described as ‘deceptive’ a planned industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the removal of oil subsidy by President Bola Tinubu.
CNG claimed that pockets of threats and strikes embarked on by the NLC in the past did not yield any considerable results given its soft spots for the government.
Its spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in a statement, told the NLC to first explain its whereabouts at the time the budget was prepared, presented, defended by the government of the former president Muhammadu Buhari and passed by the 9th National Assembly without the provision for subsidy.
“Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) notes with sadness that the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has developed a penchant over the years for mass public deception over issues of serious national importance.
“CNG also observes that on every occasion, the NLC would deceive the public into believing they are protecting their interests, only to betray the course, and negotiate with the government at the expense of the suffering masses.
“The first instance was the NLC protests over harsh economic policies of the Buhari government in February 2017 which came to an abrupt end without achieving any results and no convincing explanation to the public.
“Then came the September 2018 strike which was also terminated after the NLC met with government officials and compromised the effort with no effect.
“The worst scenario was the October 2020 organised labour plan to shut down the entire economy in protest over the increase in the pump price of petrol and a hike in electricity tariff.
“However, the strike was called off at the last minute after a meeting between government officials and labour leaders in Abuja.
“The CNG, in particular, took exception to the move by labour at that time, describing it as a huge trade-off and compromise in its strongly worded letter of October 6, 2021, to the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, expressing disappointment in the labour leadership, for deliberately suspending an action meant to check the arbitrary hike in fuel prices by the Buhari administration.
“In the letter, the CNG and 150 other northern affiliate groups warned that the untimely suspension of the strike to demonstrate Nigerians’ displeasure over the hike in fuel and electricity prices by the NLC was a big blow on Nigerians and would have dire consequences in the future,” he said.
Suleiman expressed shock over what he called the desperation of the independent oil marketers to hike the price of petroleum products.
“The CNG is also amazed by the desperation of the Independent oil marketers who are quick to hike the fuel pump prices by almost five hundred per cent within just 12 hours of the announcement of the subsidy removal.
“This quick hike and desperation to hoard the commodity are aimed at stocking anger against the new administration by the few who benefit from the trillions of the subsidy sum among the marketers and NNPCL officials,” he said.