By Ochiaka Ugwu
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) FCT council may have concluded plans to hold a major rally in Abuja against the planned increase of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as fuel by the Federal Government.
It has also directed market women, students and other professional bodies to come out en mass to protest against the planned increase in price of PMS from N162 per litre to N304 per litter.
Chairman of NLC in FCT, Comrade Alhassan Yakub who made this known during the mobilisation meeting with civil society organisations, described the policies as unpopular, obnoxious, satanic and anti people”.
He explained that NLC and her civil society allies across the 36 States of the federation and FCT would observe the rally on 27th January 2022, while that of the National would be in Abuja which is the grand finale on 2nd February 2022.
His words, “We urge Nigerians to support the activities of NLC and civil society organisations for the forthcoming protest rally against federal government’s planned increase in price of PMS from 162 Naira to 304.
“This is to sensitise Nigerians that these policies are obnoxious. These policies are anti people. These policies are Satanic. Therefore, we need to resist it with all our power to make sure that it doesn’t come to pass and Nigerians are not taking for granted”.
Speaking on the hardship the policy would bring on Nigerians, Comrade Alhassan who lamented that most States’ government were yet to implement the N30.000 minimum wage signed into law in 2019, warning that further increase in petroleum products would lead to more hardship for workers and Nigerians.
“You can imagine as workers that it took a lot of debate, persuasions, to even get the N30, 000 Minimum wage which was signed into law in 2019, but most States as we speak today have not implemented and now you want to increase that hardship by increasing the pump price of PMS which will cascade into other hardship. This is because market women need to transport their goods to the market from wherever they buy thereby making the prices of goods skyrocket. There is no doubt that price of groceries will increase.
“Virtually everything is tied to this PMS Therefore, we said no to this kind of situations and so we are going to mobilise Nigerians in their numbers across the 36 of the Federation and the FCT to rise against this kind of obnoxious policies.
“So we call on Nigerians, those in the market, those in schools to come out on the 27th January 2022 across 36 states of the federation and on the 2nd of February 2022 in Abuja for grand finale to march against these policies for government not take us for a ride”.
Also speaking at the meeting, Comrade Jaye Geskiya of the Civil Society groups said Nigerians would not accept anything less than the status quo, warning that government must engage the people to avoid for a better leadership.
He said government was not sincere on the reasons they are advancing for the increments, stressing that they should go after those who are making billions from the system through corrupt means.
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