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THE NATION |
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THE NATION |
AHEAD of the expiration of its 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Govern-ment to abolish the recently introduced fuel tax, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) will on Thursday in Lagos meet with human rights’ groups and the Civil Society as part of efforts to mobilise for the impending protest.
Also, a special meeting of the 29 affiliate unions of the congress is billed to hold at 10 a.m. in Lagos at the NLC Secretariat, Yaba, while a mass rally takes place simultaneously in Lagos and Abeokuta.
A statement by the Assistant Secretary of NLC in charge of organisation, Denja Yaqub, said the NLC President, Adams Oshiomhole, other members of the congress and leaders of the civil society are expected to deliberate on serious issues at the Lagos meeting.
The rally in Lagos, according to NLC, will hold this Friday beginning from 9 a.m. at Alausa, seat of the state government while in Ogun State, the rally billed to kick-off at 2 p.m. is to be followed by an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) in Abeokuta.
Meanwhile, oil workers have also declared their support for NLC in its protest against the petroleum tax, saying it is a burden being passed on Nigerians.
They also put on hold, the December 2003 ultimatum on government to repair the refineries in the interest of industrial peace.
The workers under the aegis of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) in a statement issued at the end of their joint National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Benin- City said the petroleum tax is unacceptable.
Signed by Peter Akpatason, Elijah Okougbo, NUPENG’s President and General secretary; Brown Ogbeifun, M.M. Fadakinte, PENGASSAN’s President and General Secretary respectively, the statement decried the heavy burden being passed on Nigerians through the policies of deregulation and petroleum subsidy withdrawal.
The workers urged the government to rescind its decision on the obnoxious policy to avoid further crisis.
They, however, directed members to adhere strictly to the decisions reached by NLC and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on the matter.
The unions said the decision to put the December 2003 ultimatum on hold “is based on the understanding reached on the December 29, 2003 meeting”.
Oshiomhole said in Abuja, on Wednesday at the end of the meeting that it was incumbent on the government to revert to the old fuel price regime of N34 per litre to mitigate the pains being inflicted on Nigerians.
Oshiomhole expressed dismay that the government had started implementing the fuel tax it included into the 2004 budget as proposal when the National Assembly had not legislated on it.
“Before the National Assembly began deliberations on the budget proposals, the government has gone ahead to implement it. This is illegal and arbitrary as only the legislature is empowered to enact law on taxes”, Oshiomhole said.
He faulted the government’s claim that the new tax is to repair roads, contending that since government claims that it is making N200 billion from deregulation, of the downstream sector of the oil industry with effect from October 1, 2003, it should first use this money to maintain the roads before seeking to extort more from Nigerians.
NLC, he said, has, therefore, called on the National Assembly and Nigerians to reject the fuel tax as it was anti-people, and amounts to executive lawlessness.
“This is an acid test for the National Assembly to demonstrate that they are representatives of the people. The tax must be made not just unpayable but also uncollectable”, the NLC boss stressed.
He stated: “What we are witnessing today at the fuel stations is anarchy with petrol prices ranging between N44 and N100 depending on what part of the country the consumer is. Yet, the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), tax is being charged.”
Oshiomhole noted that fuel scarcity persists with queues in various parts of the country while adulteration of petroleum products continued unabated.
He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in spite of deregulation still imports about 85 per cent of the petroleum products in the country.
“This vindicates NLC’s position that deregulation or price increases by whatever guise will neither guarantee availability of petroleum products of stabilisation of prices, it is obvious that deregulation is injurious both to the economy and the people”, he said.
The only way out of the imminent total strike, which according to Oshiomhole “is the last strike” is for government to reverse to the old price regime of N34 per litre.
“We have learnt our lessons that this government does not respect agreement, we are determined to provide leadership so that Nigerians should come out against the ill-conceived policies and emerging dictatorship”, he said.
The NLC he assured will from today begin mobilisation and sensitisation of Nigerians.
Thursday, January 8, 2004
