NLC Accuses FG of Blackmail over Planned Fuel Subsidy Protest 

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Federal Government of applying blackmail and malice to force it into abandoning the nationwide protest fixed for Wednesday, August 2.

It said the attention of the congress has been drawn to the statement by the Solicitor-General of the Federation and  Permanent Secretary,  Ministry of Justice,  Mrs B.E. Jedy-Agba, to its notice of protest against the latest hike in pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

In a statement signed by NLC’s Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, the congress said the Solicitor-General lied when she held that organised labour was still under a restraining court order to organise the protest.

NLC said: “The restraining order which Mrs Jedy-Agba talks about pertains to our notice of strike in early June as a result of the increase in pump price of PMS from N190 to N537. We are not aware it is a perpetual injuction which covers anything/everything Congress does from now to eternity. This certainly will go against the grain of justice.

“It is important to note that our present notice of peaceful protest in conjuction with civil societies, individuals,  associations and communities of the willing, has nothing to do with the previous  increase by the NNPC but has everything to do with market forces that propelled pump prices to new heights of N617. 

“This is a new matter entirely which the previous order did not contemplate or affect. We are concerned about the comments of Mrs Jedy-Agba for their untruths, malice, blackmail and deficiency in law.”

NLC had earlier issued a seven-day notice of nationwide protest to the Federal Government staring from Wednesday, August 2.

In a communique at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the NLC resolved “to give the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum within which to meet all our demands and to embark on a nationwide action beginning Wednesday the 2nd of August, 2023 to compel the government to reverse its anti-poor and anti-workers policies”.

In the communiqué jointly signed by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero and General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja, the NLC NEC re-affirmed all the decisions of its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of the 25th of July in which it demanded the immediate reversal of all anti-poor policies of the Federal Government including the recent hike in PMS price, increase in public school fees, the release of the eight months withheld salaries of university lecturers and workers and increase in VAT.

NLC also demanded the immediate inauguration of the Presidential Steering Committee as agreed in the earlier consequential dialogues.

Ahead of the national protest, NLC has sought the support of the civil society organisations and Nigerians wherever they may be to begin mobilization and to lead the mass protest rallies across the nation to demonstrate outrage against the inhuman actions and policies of the government.