The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said the group won’t back the removal of fuel subsidy if there are no functioning refineries in the count.
The union, through a statement on Thursday after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos, expressed deep concerns over the failure of the Federal government in taking the advice from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The Federal government mooted the idea of removing the fuel subsidy before the end of the second quarter, while the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, vowed to yank it off if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to.
But the NUPENG said labour had warned that the deregulation of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) should not be predicated on the importation of the product because of all the obvious negative impacts on the socio-economic life of the people and nation in general.
The union said the government promised to have three national refineries ready for operation before contemplating the removal of the subsidy, however, it has failed to achieve that.
“NEC-in-Council also examined the recurrent discussions for the removal of subsidy from the Petroleum Motor Spirit, PMS, and expresses deep concerns over the failure of the Federal Government to do the needful as advised by Organised Labour that deregulation of the PMS should not be predicated on importation of the product because of all the obvious negative impacts on the socio-economic life of the people and nation in general,” a statement signed by the President Prince Williams Akporeha and the General Secretary of NUPENG, Afolabi Olawale, reads.
NUPENG also stated that: “The Council-in-session expressed disappointment in the failure of the government to deliver on its promises of making the three national refineries work before contemplating the removal of the subsidy on this very important economic item in view of the enormous implication and the impact on the economic activities and considering the socio-economic importance of PMS to ordinary Nigerians.
“The NEC-in-session reaffirms that in as much as our Union is not averse to the removal of PMS subsidy, the Federal Government must ensure that our local refineries are put into full operation before such a major policy decision is taken in the interest of the generality of Nigerians.”
– Media Report