The organised labour and stakeholders have lambasted the Federal Government in response to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (NNPCL) new pump price regime for Premium Motor Spirit, also called petrol, which went into effect on Tuesday.
This came as key opposition parties in the country pushed President Bola Tinubu to fire the NNPCL’s management.
Nigerians awoke on Tuesday to find that pump prices had risen from roughly N600 to N855/litre, M918/litre or higher, depending on the region of purchase at NNPC stations across the country.
According to sources, retail establishments have been directed to raise petrol prices.
The recommended petrol costs vary by area, with some now selling for N900. It was announced on Tuesday that NNPC outlets in Lagos raised their prices to N855 per litre.
The decision to hike petrol prices claimed that the NNPC Retail Management approved an upward review.
This is coming barely two days after the company disclosed it was encountering issues to import petroleum due to a $6 billion debt.
Reacting to the development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) described Tinubu as a betrayer following the astronomical hike in fuel prices.
The NLC expressed shock in a statement signed by its president, Joe Ajaero, which was made available to reporters in Abuja on Wednesday.
“We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the Federal Government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as the national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient,” the Ajaero said.
Among other things, the Congress demanded an immediate reversal of the pump price, the release of detained demonstrators, and the repeal of the 250 percent increase in electricity tariffs.
“In the coming days, the appropriate organs of the Congress will be meeting to take appropriate decisions, which will be made public,” he assured.
