*Working Refineries, Only Solution To Fuel Crisis — Former NLC President Ayuba Wabba
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Entrance to the National Assembly in Abuja is congested with pedestrian and vehicular traffic as the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) moves its protest from Unity Fountain to the Senate.
Angry protesters have pulled down the gate of the National Assembly, demanding to express their displeasure.
Earlier, the protesters, led by the leaders of the Organised Labour, Joe Ajaero of the Nigeria Labour Congress, and Festus Osifo of the Trade Union Congress, asked security operatives stationed at the legislative building to open the gates.
Members of the union were seen holding placards with various demands, including the increase and payment of salaries, stopping the increase in school fees, and reviewing the N8,000 palliative, with many others showing “let the poor breathe.”
Workers from various sectors, including education, health, oil, and gas, represented their sectors as they chanted solidarity mantras while carrying their flags and placards.
This protest is the fulfillment of the NLC’s decision despite doubts over the fate of the nationwide protest, especially after they suspended a planned strike twice this year.
Emmanuel Ugbaja, NLC national secretary, stated that the union is waiting for the Senate to address them, emphasizing that there are many issues that must be addressed for workers.
“The N8,000 palliative is an insult, is that what brought us here; let the Senate come and screen the ministerial candidates in public, we don’t want people with two credits, there are many graduates with 2:1 grades,” he said.
Meanwhile, a FORMER President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, has stated that the only solution to the country’s lingering fuel crisis is for the refineries to begin production.
Ayuba spoke during the ongoing protest by the organised labour in Abuja on Wednesday, August 2.
He blamed the crisis on the few elites deliberately refusing to fix the refineries.
“It has been a vicious cycle, and it will continue to be a vicious cycle and will continue to affect our economy and therefore government must come up with three plans immediate, medium and long-term plans; I have not seen that on the table.
“It’s a fire brigade approach, it’s a weak pill that will leave only pain for now, but the pain will remain with us perpetually.
“What will address this issue is, is actually the issue of production, but the elites, not more than 10% of them, don’t want production; they want importation because why they benefit from importation, this is the real issue, and therefore we must insist, we must continue to insist that our refineries must work. Those elites must tell us when our refinery will work,” Ayuba stated.
He said past governments have promised to fix the refineries to no avail.
“They told us if we are refining, the price will not be more than, the price will not be more than N8 per litre; that is the last solution that can resolve this issue.”
He claimed that the palliatives promised by President Bola Tinubu will only serve as a temporary solution and urged the government to look more into the fuel price increase issue.
“Here we are today in the same vicious cycle, and Nigerians are suffering, we are suffering, every worker on fixed wages is feeling the impact, I didn’t see how the palliatives will address this problem because the palliative is only a temporary measure, but the issue of the price increase will be a permanent solution.
“I am telling you, once the exchange rate goes up and continues to go up, the price will increase; once the price of crude oil at the international market goes up, they will continue to increase because these are the two variables,” Ayuba added.
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