IMF’s advice to remove fuel subsidy is poisonous — NUPENG

THE National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPENG) has described  the advice given by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the Federal Government to remove fuel subsidy as poisonous.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, the National President, NUPENG, Comrade Williams Akporeha, urged the government to heed to the advice of the union by shunning any counsel to remove fuel subsidy in other to avoid crisis that would destabilise or cause unnecessary tension in the country.

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“Our over-dependence on petroleum products importation has unfortunately made us to be very vulnerable to antics and manipulations of local and international manipulators, “ he stressed.

He stated that, the union has requested for the revitalisation of the ailing refineries in order to pave for sufficient local supply of petroleum products across the country.

He pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to use the strength of his second term in office to end the country reliance on imported petroleum products so as to meet local consumption.

“Removal of subsidy is good but the country is not ripe for it for now as palative measures must first be put in place  in order to avoid hardship on the part of the masses,” he stated.

He commended  the Executive and the National Assembly for the passage and signing into the new minimum wage.

He reiterated that, there is no state in the country that does not have the capacity to conveniently implement this modest benchmark for workers in their respective states , he added that “ it is imperative for the government to focus on how to deepen good governance and restrain from fiscal wastages.

He lamented on the security challenges experience in the country in the last few years as this has poses uncertainty and threat on the general public and investors.

He said it is alarming on how explosives and high damage assault riffles gained access into the country and subsequently end up in the hands of terrorist, cultists, kidnappers, armed robbers and other criminal element in the society.