NLC: Revive refineries to shield Nigerians from crisis
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expresses the collective distress of millions of Nigerian workers who are enduring the severe consequences of a global capitalist crisis they did not create.
The military escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran has sent shockwaves through global oil markets. As a result, fuel prices in Nigeria have surged to between N1,170 and N1,300 per litre.
This development is a direct affront to the Nigerian people. While imperial rivalries play out with weapons abroad, the Nigerian working class is being battered by poverty and hunger because the country has failed to ensure that its public refineries function effectively.
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NLC: Revive refineries to shield Nigerians from crisis
Etim Ekpimah
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) expresses the collective distress of millions of Nigerian workers who are enduring the severe consequences of a global capitalist crisis they did not create.
The military escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran has sent shockwaves through global oil markets. As a result, fuel prices in Nigeria have surged to between N1,170 and N1,300 per litre.
This development is a direct affront to the Nigerian people. While imperial rivalries play out with weapons abroad, the Nigerian working class is being battered by poverty and hunger because the country has failed to ensure that its public refineries function effectively.
President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, in a statement on Friday, said the crisis has once again exposed the fragility of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector, stripping away the pretence of those who claimed that local refining would shield the country from global shocks.
According to him, the Dangote Refinery has adjusted its prices in line with global market volatility, effectively transferring the burden to ordinary Nigerians. This reality undermines the comforting narrative that domestic refining alone would guarantee price stability.
“As long as Nigeria remains tied to a market-driven pricing regime dictated by global uncertainties and continues to neglect the revitalisation of public assets, the country will remain vulnerable to external conflicts and market opportunists.
“The NLC had earlier warned against the danger of weakening public refineries in favour of creating a monopoly in the sector. The current situation must serve as a wake-up call for the nation’s economic managers. No country achieves economic sovereignty by outsourcing jobs and importing costs.
“The government must immediately halt the deterioration of the public sector and restore the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries to full operation, not as a favour, but as a right owed to the Nigerian people so they can shield themselves from a hostile global economic order,” he said.
He added that the rising cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) has made transportation a crushing burden on workers. Food inflation is climbing rapidly, while already meagre wages are being eroded by this artificially induced scarcity. When workers cannot afford transportation to their workplaces, the economy slows down. When families cannot afford three meals a day, society moves dangerously close to the edge.
Ajaero noted that the government cannot afford to dismiss any measure capable of providing relief. Immediate intervention is imperative. It is the duty of the state to act decisively to prevent the suffering of its citizens rather than merely lament the Middle East crisis in helplessness. Recent projections by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) suggest that Nigeria could earn about N30 trillion in oil windfall revenue as a result of the Middle East conflict.
The NLC president added that the Nigeria Labour Congress demands the following: Immediate implementation of a Wage Award and Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for all workers to cushion the rising cost of living. Current wages have become little more than starvation pay.
Ajaero said, “Expansion and comprehensive reform of the Cash Transfer programme to ensure transparency and guarantee that support reaches the most vulnerable Nigerians, with increased payments to reflect inflation.
“Immediate tax relief for workers and the suspension of all regressive taxes on low-income earners, including the proposed tax on the informal sector. Taxing the minimum wage is nothing short of exploitation.
“A clear and binding timeline for the full operationalisation of all public refineries, with full accountability for the billions of naira already spent on turnaround maintenance.
“Nigerian workers are becoming poorer by the day and are enduring immense hardship. We are not mere statistics; we are the lifeblood of this nation. When the engine overheats, the entire vehicle breaks down.”
The estimated N30 trillion oil windfall expected to accrue to Nigeria as a result of the current Middle East crisis must not disappear like the Gulf War oil windfall of the past. Instead, it must be invested in the Nigerian people and used to cushion the impact of the present crisis.
The government must engage in genuine social dialogue with Nigerian workers and the wider citizenry. Using the Middle East conflict as an excuse to further impoverish Nigerians is unacceptable. The primary duty of any government is to protect the welfare and well-being of its people.
