Fuel scarcity is FG’s strategy to increase fuel price, Labour says

The United Labour Congress (ULC), yesterday, said the present scarcity of petroleum product is a plan by the Federal Government to increase pump price in January. This is even as it has warned that it would resist the attempt.

ULC said its investigation has revealed that the present shortage was as a result of government’s failure to provide importers with the foreign exchange (forex) needed.

The ULC President, Joe Ajaero, said reports reaching the union from affiliates showed that the debacle was clearly a manifestation of another failure of leadership in Nigeria.

He said: “It cannot be blamed on any panic buying or hoarding as the product is seriously in short supply. Importers are not bringing in enough products, while NNPC is not in any position to meet the demands of the market.

“Importers cannot bring in products because of logistic bottlenecks created by the government at the point of procuring forex, while NNPC lacks the capacity to bring in more products that are needed this period.”

He wondered why a government, at this period with the exponential increase in movement across the length and breadth of the country as the citizens relocate in celebration of the season, and its subsequent implications for demand on domestic fuel consumption, did not take adequate measures to ensure that the gap that would be created will be filled by increased supply of the product to the market.

“Paradoxically, this is the period they have chosen to play games; withhold forex from importers and reduce the amount NNPC was making available. The consequences of the decreasing availability of the product in the market and the increasing demand for same at this period meant that the citizenry are faced with double-jeopardy,” he lamented.

Ajaero said ULC suspected that government was playing its old trick prior to raising the price of petroleum products, warning that Nigerian workers under ULC will work assiduously, severally and across the country to resist such insensitive intentions.

According to him, this has become a game politicians play against the people, “but we vow to work to ensure that the outcome this time will be in favour of Nigerian workers, Nigeria and Nigerians.”

The ULC President said labour hoped, once again, that the crisis would not be a prelude to the 2012 gimmick as giving Nigerians sorrow and bitterness during this period has become the sole aim of various governments, maintaining that Nigerian workers and masses deserve a better treatment than the excuses with ominous implications.

“It is indeed surprising that a government that raised the pump price of petroleum products, especially fuel, to ₦145 per litre with the promise never to allow the return of fuel queues, is sitting on its rump and giving excuses why the same queues have returned with a vengeance.

“We believe that there is no excuse strong enough for this government to give over this worrying situation. Government should fulfil its side of the bargain. That is the only way to go. It is even worse trying to deflect the blame and push it on the unions in the sector, which is not true as this truly shows continuous disrespect for the citizenry that elected these same leaders into office.”

He stressed that this was not the kind of end of year gift that Nigerians deserve as leaders in other climes give their citizenry end of year gifts by passing legislation and enacting policies that would ease their burdens, but not so in Nigeria.

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