Our Position On Fuel Subsidy Removal Unchanged- NLC

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has said the position of the union on the removal of petrol subsidies has not changed.

Aliyu Wabba, NLC Chairman, disclosed this in a statement signed apparently in response to Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo’s challenge to the NLC to come out clean on its stand on the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, if elected.

“A major demand in the Nigerian Workers Charter of Demands is that our local public refineries must work.

“We have also demanded that we must stop 100 per cent importation of refined petroleum products.

“The NLC and indeed the labour movement in Nigeria had over many decades been vehemently consistent that the only way to address the issue of the so-called petrol subsidies is to get our refineries to work.

“The logic is very simple: it is not economical to buy from abroad at very expensive prices a product that a country like ours can easily produce at home,’’he said.

“If any political party goes around saying that they plan to sell our refineries, remove subsidies, they should be ready to defend such stance to Nigerians at the campaigns,’’ he added.