The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has labeled President Bola Tinubu a betrayer in response to the recent sharp increase in fuel prices. In a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, and released in Abuja on Tuesday, the NLC expressed shock and dismay at the secretive hike in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), describing the move as a “deep sense of betrayal.”
The NLC pointed out that one of the key reasons it accepted the N70,000 national minimum wage was based on an understanding with the government that the pump price of PMS would not be increased. The Congress accused the Tinubu administration of breaking its promises and implementing harsh market policies that have plunged Nigerians into an “all-time low.”
The Labour Centre also strongly criticized the government for its handling of dissent, condemning the crackdown on protesters, the arrest and detention of citizens on what it described as trumped-up charges, and the government’s overreach into the responsibilities of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“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 though we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient,” the Congress stated.
The Congress further demanded the “immediate reversal of the fuel price increase; the release of incarcerated protesters; an end to indiscriminate arrests and detentions; reversal of the 250% electricity tariff hike; a stop to the encroachment on the Ministry of Labour and Employment’s duties; an end to policies that engender hunger and insecurity; and a halt to the government’s culture of terror, fear, and deceit.”
The NLC vowed to stand resolute with the people and not be intimidated by the government or its security agencies, warning that appropriate decisions would be taken in the coming days.
“In the coming days, the appropriate organs of the Congress will be meeting to take appropriate decisions which will be made public.”
