Nigeria Labour Congress Begins Indefinite Strike Over Fuel Subsidy Removal
Nigerian workers began a national strike after fuel costs more than doubled, threatening to shut ports and disrupt output from Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Chevron Corp. in Africa’s largest crude producer.
The Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, representing more than 8 million workers, called an indefinite strike to force President Goodluck Jonathan to reverse a decision to scrap fuel subsidies. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, the oil workers’ union, ordered its 24,000 members to stay away from work.
“The objective is that the government must reverse the fuel price increases before we end the strike,” Owei Lakemfa, secretary-general of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the country’s largest trade union grouping, said today by phone from Abuja, the capital. Peter Esele, president of the Trade Union Congress, said members have also joined the strike.
Gasoline prices in Nigeria, where two-thirds of the population of about 164 million live on less than $1.25 a day, surged after Jonathan abolished 1.2 trillion naira ($7.4 billion) of subsidies on Jan. 1. The price had been capped at 65 naira a liter, undermining investment in refineries that resulted in the West African nation importing about 70 percent of its fuel.
Streets Deserted
Banks, businesses, schools and most offices were shuttered and streets deserted today in Lagos, the country’s economic capital, and Abuja. Protest marches are also planned in major cities across the country, union officials said.
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria “has fully joined the strike,” and will “gradually shut down oil production,” Babatunde Oke, a spokesman for the union known as Pengassan, said by phone from Lagos.
Nigeria produced an average 2.2 million barrels of crude a day in December, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, and is the fifth-largest provider of oil imports to the U.S. At least 90 percent is pumped by Shell, based in The Hague, Exxon Mobil Corp., San Ramon, California-based Chevron, Total SA and Eni SpA in joint ventures with the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.
President Jonathan announced a plan yesterday to provide 15 billion naira in zero-interest loans to transportation companies to help them acquire new buses and bring down transport costs. “Whatever pains we feel now will be transient, they will be very temporary,” he said.
Nigeria’s House of Representatives passed a motion yesterday urging the government to return fuel subsidies and to allow more time for consultation on the issue.
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D subsidy removal by FG is a splendid idea but d pallatives should b put in place b4 d removal. Lets join d strik til wen d pallatives ar made available.
Nigerians are great people, we all join hands together and vote you in as our president but now see where we are! You surpose to be our servnat and pay you salary not to tell us what to do, you even carry all the burding of the economy on nigerians. Your salary, your wife’s salary, all ministers salary e.t.c should be cut down and more so they should not be paid in foreign currency any more or did Americans pay their workers whit another countries currency? Look at our country today, we have alot of graduate that they are still unemployment. Let us go to other countrise that have petrolium and see what their leaders are doing for them.
I will like the strike to continue if Mr. President did’nt find solution to this problem.
Mr president, u r doing d right thing, go ahead with ur plan of subsidy removal, it’s better to suffer d pains today, so we can get d gain tomorrow, God is ur strength, Mr President.
The issue of disbursing 15 Billion naira for more automobiles to ease transportation problem, will not solve this appalling unrest in the country. Having realised what we may achieve in this bold change effort by the Mr President, I have said this on many fora that to solve the present and future needs of the populace, fuel subsidy should have been tampered with at piecemeal not removal. Other sectors, renumeration, excessive allowances given to Reps and Leaders in all divides should have also been cut accordingly. Let the negotiation attempt this direction.
If Mr President really loves Nigerians, he should listen to NLC’s voices not that of the greedy partners of his.
The petroleum subsidy removd is a slap on comon nigerians, during obasanjo regime our tull gates where demolish and the paid on the gate will be added to our petrol prices, now jonathan had come the removal of fuel subsidy instead of stoping the importations of petrol by repairing and increasing the production capacity of our existing refineries, the removal will not stop the importation,those nigerians who import the fuel including mr president makes these trillions they are quoting that is why mr president do not want to stop the fuel importation,mr pre said government will import buses will government fuel and maintain the buses, if yes is that economical, i believe he will revers his decision for the good of our nation nigeria.
D leadership of NLC shuld stop displayin their myopic state of mind cos i dnt tink their strike action is a sign of love 4 d nation. I dnt blive dat anybody loves Nigeria more than GEJ. Am totally in support of d subsidy removal. We nid 2 stop enrichin some rich cows!
wat do u call ur name, ovat diana or wat? If posible u wil reign in prison 4 d rest of ur life. Idiot nd bastard citizen of nigeria.
Nigerians are bombed in their churches,shot on their homes,targeted in their offices, Yet our dear labour leaders did nothing;The northerners are going
back ,the southerners have rushed back home with little or nothing, yet the national assembly is in place enjoying the comfort of.their spoils of.war.The civil societies instead of organising protests and rallies for these decide to punish us the more by shutting down bisinesses.Millions.of naira purportedly shared.to.organise the rallies has made some perspns richer than before..
FOR ME, I NEITHER BELIEVE THE PDP GOVERNMENT NOR TRUST THE LABOUR LEADERS ONLY GOD IS MY CONSULATION.
Labour should sheath their sword n continue work.Govt is paying us much money.Let’s support d govt 4 once.Britain pays d highest tax yet they don’t go on strike.Anti Jonathan should leave us alone.
A very great plead to mr.president to reverse the fuel price to its normal unit,we need to work just to earn to live a proper life and if this is not checked up,that means Nigeria is going to another world else.we just need the fuel to come to its normal price for we people to survive and i think this is ours,then we still suffering on our possession. mr.president,just have a checkup look for us.
Removal of fuel subsidy simply means in my ideology taxing the masses and taking money out of one criminal and putting it in the hands of another one.Who is deceiving who. The money increased in kerosene is yet to accounted for. Building of schools, hospitals, roads etc has always been the victim of our ruling leaders.
What else will he say except that he want to do these things. A breathe of fresh air should be oxygen and not carbon dioxide .Can somebody please help me to tell President G J E that he may turn out to be the worst we have ever encountered. I thought he is a servant leader. If the seat is unbearable for him, let him step aside and allow a servant leader with a lion heart and a cooler in his buttocks to seat the hot seat.
God will see us through. To me, what NLC is doing is in the best intrest of the masses and what jonathan is doing is in the best intrest of his self. Jonathan may think no one can stop him now but he should remember that God is able and capable of assigning him to second Yar’adua with immediate effect. He can pronounce what he called the subsidy on fuel but can not tell us his monthly take home pakage and those of the senators & the law makers. I believe these are more than the 1.3 trillion naira he is talking about. However I want to remind him that a servant will always be a servant no mater what knowledge or idea he may think he posses, the master’s wish will always triumph. Our wish should be his command because part of us elected him, if he truely won the elections. Just do what we want jonathan and keep those ideas of yours till you get back to your family where you may be the head.
The president is wiser than us because we cant see d burden in him, cus he wil nt want evil for us. Mr president should understand dt he’s making life difficult for d poor and less-prevelage, he cant see wat is going on in our life, most of us who are doing minea job wont b able to continue in our higher institute and feed properly, it killings us y low finance.
The president is wiser than us because we cant see d burden in him, cus he wil nt want evil for us. Mr president should understand dt he’s making life difficult for d poor and less-prevelage, he cant see wat is going on in our life, most of us who are doing minea job wont b able to continue in our higher institute and feed properly, it killings us y low finance.
it is a pity what those in power do to their subjects
We put Our hope in Gudluck, but He put Us down. Is only God dat can intervene in2 Our case in Nigeria. I’m also persuading Our able Leader(NLC PRESIDENT), 2 talk 2 Gudluck Himself 2 reduce d price of fuel, in order 2 call-off d strike.
Please,there are some nigerians that were locked up in a company at no:16/18 ikotun(opposite synagogue church) the head office is at no:18 lisabi street,off marine road, apapa. working over night,the company is own by a lebanees,the name of the company is I.P.I. Iron Product Industries.the name of the managing director of the company is mr Diwan Nunu,Deputy managing dir. Is philip Diwan(son),mr Davies is the head of staff (nigerian) according to the source they said they are not part of any union,our people were there working and anybody dat doesnt go will loose his job or will be debited.please help.
Interesting. Are they there against their own will?