Why NLC must put an end to planned nationwide strike – Kachikwu

Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Dumebi Kachikwu, in the 2023 poll, has advised the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, to assess issues surrounding the removal of fuel subsidy before embarking on nationwide strike.

Kachikwu, who said subsidy, oil theft and bunkering were some of the organised crimes committed against Nigeria and her people, stated that President Bola Tinubu must put an end to the NLC plan.

Kachikwu, in a statement titled: ‘Pain and Gain,’ added that the individuals involved in corrupt practices in the oil and gas sector were richer than most state governments, stressing that they must be identified and prosecuted.

The statement reads in part: “As expected, many Nigerians have faulted his (Tinubu’s) decision especially as he failed to mention his plans to cushion the effects of this decision on the already suffering masses. A politicised NLC has now joined the cacophony of voices in calling for nationwide strikes to press home their demand for a reversal of the president’s decision. I have therefore decided to pose the following questions to the NLC:

“Who removed the petroleum subsidy; President Buhari who failed to budget for it or President Tinubu, who announced that it wasn’t budgeted for?

“If it was President Buhari as it is obvious to all, why didn’t the NLC react appropriately when he was in office?

“If petroleum subsidy has been removed because of massive fraud in the implementation of the scheme, what did the highly organised unions in the petroleum sector do to expose and identify those behind this fraud in the last 15 years?

“Why has the NLC not demanded for the details of all those who purchased PMS from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, NNPCL, in the last eight years with a view to unravelling the actual quantities of products bought and their final destinations?

“What is the status of the recently commissioned Dangote refinery that has been touted to come on stream next month and how does the availability of products from that refinery impact on product pricing and the subsidy regime?

“What did the NLC, PENGASSAN, TUC and other forms or organised labour do prior to this in the face of revelations of daily theft of crude oil by organised gangs and their foreign collaborators?

“What did the NLC, PENGASSAN, TUC and other forms of organised labour do about the under-declaration of crude production by some of the IOC’s and their collaborators within the NNPCL, security agencies and other regulatory bodies?

“Which marketers received products from NNPCL seventy-two hours before the announcement of the new pricing regime and what mechanism has NNPCL put in place to recover the shortfall in payment from them considering that they are selling the products to the public using the new pricing template?

“What are the options available to the Nigerian Government at this point?”