Fuel Subsidy Withdrawal

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The Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade
Union Congress, along with the pro-people
civil society organizations and patriotic
professional organisations have rejected
the new fuel prices and directed Nigerians
to resist their imposition.
In a statement, they described today’s
withdrawal of fuel subsidies by the
Presidency as “callous and insensitive,” and
intended to cause anarchy in the country.
“It is tragic that the Jonathan Government
has become the greatest source of
insecurity in the country and the spring of
danger to the Nigerian nation,” the
statement said, and the bodies directed
their state councils and unions to take steps
to resist any price above N65 litre of PMS.
They further asked them to await a date for
the commencement of general strikes and
mass protests across the country.
“Similarly, we alert the populace to begin
immediate mobilization towards the d-day
for the commencement of the strikes, street
demonstrations and mass protests across
the country,” the statement said.
[Full text of the statement]:
As Nigerians mourn the victims of the bomb
blasts in the last few days and grapple with
insecurity, the Jonathan Administration
decided to utilize this period to impose
astronomical fuel price increases on the
populace.
This New Year “gift” by the Presidency is
callous, insensitive and is intended to cause
anarchy in the country. It is tragic that the
Jonathan Government has become the
greatest source of insecurity in the country
and the spring of danger to the Nigerian
nation.
In the last few days, Jonathan’s
administration had told Nigerians that it
was consulting us on the issue of fuel
subsidy removal and that if any was
contemplated, it would be with effect from
April 1, 2012. The NLC and TUC warned
Nigerians that this government thrives on
falsehood and can therefore not be trusted.
The Presidency’s New Year Day action of
removing the fuel subsidy and imposing
new fuel prices on the populace is a clear
demonstration of the fact that the Jonathan
administration cannot be trusted. We also
have information that it intends to make a
litre of PMS N150.00 and then ask the NNPC
to reduce the price at its fuel stations by a
few Naira. Nigerians must defeat whatever
are the schemes of this government.
The NLC, TUC, the pro-people Civil Society
Organizations and patriotic Professional
organisations reject these new fuel prices
and direct Nigerians to resist their
imposition. We direct our state councils and
unions to take steps to resist any price
above N65 litre of PMS, and await a date for
the commencement of general strikes and
mass protests across the country.
Similarly, we alert the populace to begin
immediate mobilization towards the d-day
for the commencement of the strikes, street
demonstrations and mass protests across
the country.
With the decision of the Jonathan
administration to create chaos in the
country, we Nigerians have the duty and
responsibility to restore the country to
normalcy and reclaim our birthright.
This promises to be a long drawn battle; we
know its beginning, but we do not know its
end or when it will end. But we are
confident that the Nigerian people will
triumph over the cabal in Aso Rock.
We call on the National Assembly and the
Governors to side with the people and
stand by them in this struggle.
The Labour Movement also calls on the
police, armed forces and other security
personnel not to accept any order to shoot
Nigerians or attack them for publicly
resisting these evil hikes in fuel prices. We
warn that any officer who does so will be
brought to justice, and a claim that he was
obeying orders, will not be an excuse for
committing such crimes.
We also put the Jonathan Presidency and its
surrogates on notice that we shall ensure
that they are prosecuted up to the
International Criminal Court if they, by acts
of commission or omission spill the blood of
any Nigerian over the protests that follow
their inhuman acts against the people.
In the next few days, the leadership of the
NLC and TUC will jointly issue directives on
the date organized national strikes, street
demonstrations and mass protests will
commence. We shall neither surrender nor
retreat.