Petrol Price Surge: NLC Makes Fresh Demand on FG
The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has asked the Federal Government to urgently introduce measures to cushion Nigerians from the rising cost of petrol.
The labour body specifically demanded emergency palliatives and reasonable wage awards for workers, alongside the sale of crude oil to local refineries in naira.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made the demands in a statement on Wednesday, warning that the latest petrol price increase would further worsen the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
Petrol was selling for about N1,430 per litre in major cities, with prices reportedly higher in less accessible areas.
Ajaero said the effect of the increase would extend beyond transportation, as higher fuel costs usually trigger increases in the prices of food, rent, school fees and other essential goods and services.
He said the latest increase was particularly concerning because government pressure on oil marketers to reduce pump prices in response to lower international crude prices had begun to yield results.
The NLC president argued that Nigeria’s position as an oil-producing country should provide some protection for citizens against sudden shocks in the international energy market.
He said the recent surge had been linked to renewed conflict in the Gulf but maintained that Nigerians should not be left entirely exposed to the consequences.
“As a nation, and as a people endowed with enormous fossil resources, we are deserving of a certain level of protection or buffer against the gales from the Gulf, and indeed, other gales,” Ajaero said.
The labour leader urged the government to provide immediate relief to households and businesses struggling with the higher cost of fuel.
“There is nothing wrong with the government subsidising the needs of citizens, especially in emergencies like this,” he said.
Ajaero also called for sufficient crude to be supplied to functional local refineries in naira, saying the measure would help strengthen domestic refining and reduce exposure to external market pressures.
He further urged the Federal Government to expand national petroleum storage capacity to improve preparedness for energy emergencies and strengthen energy security.
According to the NLC, the proposed measures could create jobs, generate economic value and contribute to addressing emerging security challenges.
The labour body also argued that other oil-producing countries were adopting various interventions to protect their citizens from the effects of the current global energy crisis.
Ajaero said Nigeria should similarly provide a buffer for its citizens rather than allowing rising energy costs to deepen the existing economic pressure.
The NLC further expressed concern over the reported importation of crude by some local refineries, arguing that such a situation undermined the purpose of developing domestic refining capacity.
It maintained that stronger government intervention was urgently needed to prevent the latest petrol price increase from placing an even heavier burden on workers and other Nigerians.
