The Trade Union Congress and 79 other civil society organisations as well as labour unions, under the aegis of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, codenamed ASCAB, are set to hold nationwide protests and strike action this week, over the hike in fuel pump price and electricity tariff.
Apart from NLC and TUC, some other affiliate members of ASCAB are United Action for Democracy, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Journalists for Democratic Rights, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Services Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Civil Liberties Organisation (Bayelsa), and COPEAIDS Foundation, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, among many others.
Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), while confirming the planned strike, said it was evil of the government to increase the prices of essential commodities during a pandemic.
He wondered that while other countries were making life easier for their citizens through tax cuts and palliatives, the Nigerian government was doing the exact opposite.
Falana said the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, which announced the fuel price increase, had no power to do so.
He also faulted claims by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, that there was nothing the government could do to intervene in the new petrol price.
Similarly,
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has asked the federal government to “immediately suspend” the recent increase in pump price of petrol and electricity tariff or face a nationwide protest.
Addressing a news conference in Kaduna, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, spokesman of the group, said the coalition would mobilise its members for a mass protest if the federal government fails to revert to the old pump price of fuel.
Suleiman said the hike in the pump price of petrol products and new electricity tariff have ignited widespread discontent and anger.
He said it is unfortunate that Buhari has blamed the current hike in commodity prices on middlemen in the same way he accused middlemen of his “failure with the economy” as military head of state in 1984.
The group cautioned government and all concerned institutions should note that the excesses and impunity by government have been tolerated for too long and the younger generation of Nigerians is no longer going to be disposed to their collective future destiny being taken for granted.
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