CSOs set to picket NERC, NASS, accuse NLC, TUC of compromise

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of Nigerians Against Bad Policies Group on Wednesday unveiled plans to picket Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) tomorrow, Thursday as part of its nationwide protest against the recent hike in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) and electricity tariff.

The spokesman of the Group, Mr. Issac Botti of Social Action, who disclosed this during a press briefing held in Abuja, frowned at the lackluster position of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) towards the anti-people’s policies by way of “checkmating the excesses of the government which bear directly on the teeming generality of the working masses of this country is a pure betrayal of trust.”

The Group which also threatened to picket the National Assembly for failing to speak for the Nigerian people at such a time like this, accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration of aggravating the sufferings of ordinary citizens including women and children whose means of livelihood have been eroded by COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, called on “Nigerians to join in resisting doomsday policies aimed at making life miserable for the poor masses. It is only by fighting against such bad policies that we can get freedom.”

Mr. Botti who solidarised with Nigerians who are at the receiving end of various negative policies and programmes of government, alleged that President Buhari while in the opposition party queried the justification behind the petroleum subsidy at a time when PMS was selling at N34.03 per litre, but failed to justify the confidence reposed in him by the citizens.

“We are at a critical point in the journey of our nation where Government, with vicious determination, is moving the nation deeper into a tragic collapse. This period requires citizens to be ready to ensure they are not short-changed by corrupt and cruel government.

“On 2nd of September 2020, government announced a shocking increase in the pump price petrol barely 48 hours after similar mindless stroke with increase in electricity tariff. Making a lame attempt to justify these callous actions, the President, Muhammadu Buhari hinged the increment in price of petroleum on what he termed gradual recovery of oil prices internationally and even boasted before a traumatized nation, that there will be further increases in the price of petroleum and enjoined Nigerians to brace for these.

“These odd rhetoric by the administration of Buhari/Osibanjo, in the guise of justifying the increment, is nothing short of demonstration of callousness, gross insensitivity and total disconnect from the realities and dire conditions of the average Nigerian on the streets. This is even as we do not loose cognizance of the fact that these neo-liberal policies sponsored by imperialist entities as the World Bank, IMF and its cohorts, are mere smokescreen for privatization of the common patrimony and assets of Nigerians.

“Dear compatriots, gentlemen of the press, it is most instructive to note that Mr. President had in 2012, roundly dismisses all allusions to ‘subsidy’ and pointedly stated that ‘there is nothing like subsidy’. At that time, he did categorically say that all the talks about subsidy along with all the people claiming it, were nothing but pure fraud and orchestrated ploys by the then ruling party of ripping off Nigerians and went ahead to even ask: ‘who is subsidizing who’?

“Only for him to, in a space of less than 8 years, make a complete summersault into the very same fraud he denounced. It is on record that since coming into power, the Buhari/Osinbajo administration has indiscriminately increased fuel pump prices a record 3 times.

“This only means one thing, sheer deceit and indeed exposes the untrustworthiness in the characters of the leaders of this government. This is even more so, considering that president Muhammadu Buhari led millions of people, out in the street, few years ago, protesting fuel pump price increase and subsidy removal.

“As we all know, a recent report revealed that two refineries has gulped N85.9 billion without any fuel production in 13 months.

“Over the years, the oil sector has been placed under the control of few individuals organized as oil cartels, multinational oil firms, local marketers, etc. This meant that the oil sector is servicing the profit interest of few individuals against the Nigerian masses.

“This explains why the oil sector has been enmeshed in both corruption and, crises. This was one of the status quo this present ruling party promised to change when campaigning for office. Years in two terms of its tenure, status quo has not only remained, but sadly and very sadly worsened. Nigerians have never bought petrol at such exorbitant price, and even when oil glut occurred globally and crude was selling for next to nothing in the international market, it never had any corresponding reflection or decrease in the prices of petroleum products in Nigeria. It merely offered a ridiculous ten naira thereabout gap and was blowing an over-inflated trumpet.

“We therefore unequivocally condemn the statement of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who in a manner that has more or less come to become archetypal of him, posited that the angry reactions of Nigerians to the fuel hike were according to him (Mohammed), ‘unnecessary and totally mischievous’. This is simply an appalling and unfortunate vituperation, coming from no less a person than a supposedly honourable minister against innocent Nigerians merely expressing their feelings on government policies that put them at difficulties.”

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In his remarks, the spokesman of Movement for Socialist Alternative (MSA), Mr. Dimeji Macaulay, who alleged that the present administration does not respect Court injunction, argued that the Group will not hesitate to obtain Court injunction to restrain Federal Government to implement the policies.

“Don’t forget this is a government that does respect court injunctions, for instance in 2017 on the eve of the discos trying to increase the tariff we were at the industrial court in Lagos where one of our lawyers served an expatiate injunction on NERC and the discos but they refused and went ahead to increase the tariff. On the other hand is that yesterday the Nigeria Labour Congress President, Mr Ayuba Wabba was on Channels and agreed with our action.

According to him, the NLC President assured that the National Administrative Council meeting which is the highest decision-making body which has the powers to reject the price hike on petroleum products.

“So we are waiting patiently to hear from them. On the part of the TUC, the TUC by the end of today (Wednesday) will also agree on the day of action.”

Mr Macaulay argued that the “ruling class over the years has always been mismanaging the public treasury, giving appointments to their girlfriends, their concubines in NNPC and many juicy Federal parastatals, we all know that. That was why in our statement we noted how NNPC was mismanaging billions of naira without any production.

“That’s why we call for the nationalisation of the power sector because it is the privatisation that makes it that when somebody provides the receipt that I’ve brought in 100 barrels of crude oil and it’s N100, instead of just collecting N100 on the receipt, they have licensed their friends and girlfriends and they issue 100 million at that level. So that is the main corruption we are talking about,” Mr Macaulay observed.

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