A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, the APC, and the immediate past Director of Community Support of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. A.A Maiagogo, has passionately appealed to the Nigerian Labour Congress and allied trade unions in the country to shelve their planned nationwide strike in protest against the recent hikes in the price of the premium motor spirit, petrol, after the announcement of subsidy removal by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29th during his inauguration.
Maiagogo stated in his Press Release in Abuja this Saturday that “The President took this decision in the overall best interests of Nigeria and Nigerians. We may experience some initial difficulties but eventually the benefits of subsidy removal far outweigh its downside.”
“Everyone, including Labour unions and experts in oil and gas, knows that at N400bn monthly that is going mostly into the pockets of private individuals who have been reaping where they did not sow, subsidy is unsustainable. No reasonable government will allow monies that could be used to develop infrastructure, pay salaries and buy weapons desperately needed by our security agencies to be siphoned by criminal cartels who have cornered the subsidy allocations long before now”.
“People seem to be losing sight of the fact that subsidy remains till June ending this year and that the fuel marketers are only taking undue advantage of Nigerians by increasing the pump prices of fuel while at the same time still collecting billions of Naira in subsidy up till the end of June. Labour should fight the fuel marketers, not the government.”
“Going on strike is simply counterproductive. It is better for Labour to continue negotiating with the new government on how to alleviate the effects of the end of the subsidy regime rather inflict more pains on Nigerians by embarking on strike. It is not necessary and they should let their sense of patriotism take the better part of them.”
“President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a listening leader and he will never turn deaf ears on the cries of the people. As at now the government is working round-the-clock to put in place structures that would alleviate the effects of the subsidy removal on the people. It is unnecessary to overheat the polity just because of what is clearly inevitable.”
“What all of us must do at this moment is to cooperate with the president to find solutions to the effects of the subsidy removal and pressure the oil marketers to stop exploiting Nigerians unduly. I appeal to Labour and fellow Nigerians to exercise highest level of restraint on this occasion and let’s find a common ground to resolve all the issues and not give chance to chaos and crisis”, the statement said.
