OSAS EMMANUEL
ABUJA, Nigeria – Following the recent hike in the pump price of petrol, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has expressed strong disapproval, stating that the government appears to prioritise increasing fuel prices without considering the capacity of Nigerians to cope with the escalating costs.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, Ajaero criticised the lack of mitigating measures to ease the financial burden on citizens, labeling the situation as alarming and unsustainable.
Ajaero questioned the rationale behind the latest increase, highlighting that even when following market forces, it remains problematic that a private entity like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) is determining fuel prices.
“We are dismayed by the latest increase in the pump price of petrol. It looks like the only thing this government is known for is increase in the pump price of petrol without commensurate capacity of Nigerians or mitigatory measures.
“Even following the logic of market forces, we find it an aberration that a private company (NNPCL) is the one fixing prices and projecting itself as a hegemonic monopoly.”
He further urged the government to adopt a more structured and inclusive approach to economic management.
Ajaero stressed the need for a clear blueprint for national development that would lead to sustainable economic growth rather than relying on ad-hoc policies and short-term palliatives that do little to address underlying issues.
The labour leader lamented the latest hike’s impact on Nigerians, many of whom are still grappling with previous increases in fuel prices.
He noted that citizens had been reluctantly adjusting to these new realities, only to face another round of economic upheaval with this recent rise in petrol costs.
Ajaero further warned that the increase would have devastating ripple effects on the economy, particularly on the production sector.
“We challenge the government to go to the drawing board and present us with a blueprint for an inclusive economic growth and national development instead of this spasmodic ad hocism and palliative policy.
“It needs no stating the fact that the latest wave of increase has grossly altered the calculations of Nigerians once again at a time they were reluctantly coming to terms with their new realities.
“It will further deepen poverty as production capacities dip, more jobs lost with multidimensional negative effects.” he stated, noting that such consequences would push more Nigerians into hardship.
Meanwhile, Ajaero has called on the government to reverse the hike immediately, citing that previous price increases had not yielded any positive results, instead, they had only exacerbated poverty and worsened living conditions for the majority of Nigerians.
Beyond the issue of fuel price hikes, Ajaero urged the government to communicate its long-term economic vision to Nigerians.
“In light of this, we urge the government to immediately reverse this rate hike as previous increases did not produce any good result. People only got poorer.
“But more fundamentally, the government should be bold enough to tell Nigerians in advance the destination it wants to take the country.”
