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NLC demands reversal of fuel price hike, release of detained protesters
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed disappointment over the latest hike in fuel prices.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has increased the price of the product across its retail outlets from 568 to ₦885 per litre.
This followed a denial by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri, that the Federal Government had approved an increase in fuel prices.
In a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, the NLC described as a “deep sense of betrayal” the clandestine increase in the pump price of petrol.
The NLC accused the government of reneging on the promises made during the negotiations for the minimum wage.
The congress also condemned the government’s crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protesters and the arrest of Nigerians on trumped-up charges.
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It demanded the immediate reversal of the fuel price hike, the release of detained protesters, an end to indiscriminate arrests and detentions and reversal of the 250% electricity tariff hike, among others.
The statement read: “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.
“We demand 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.
“In the coming days, the appropriate organs of the Congress will be meeting to take appropriate decisions which will be made public.”
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