The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed strong opposition to the recent hike in petrol pump prices, describing the move as both “traumatic and nightmarish.” The NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement, condemned the Federal Government’s decision, stating it was a violation of the understanding reached during the national minimum wage negotiation.
“We feel betrayed,” Ajaero said in the statement. “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 as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.”
The NLC emphasized that during the negotiation, President Bola Tinubu presented them with two choices: a minimum wage of N250,000, which would be subject to an increase in petrol prices to between N1,500 and N2,000 per litre, or N70,000 at the old petrol rates. “We opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians,” Ajaero added.
“But here we are, barely one month after, and with the government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, we are confronted by a reality we cannot explain. It is both traumatic and nightmarish,” he stated.
The NLC is demanding an immediate reversal of the latest increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) across the country.
