BY OKEY  NDIRIBE, ABUJA
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned the Federal Government to desist from its plan to increase prices of petroleum products and electricity tariff.

The warning was  given  Friday by President of  NLC  Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar in a statement  which was read on his behalf  by the Deputy President of the umbrella labour union Comrade Kiri Mohammed.

The NLC leader further stated that the labour movement would embark on a street protest in Abuja next week Thursday to protest against the planned increase in the prices of petroleum products and electricity tariff.

According to the statement: “In the midst of mass suffering, despite our huge natural resources and income, it is provocative for the government to want to further increase the price of petrol. Infact this will tantamount to great injustice against the people.“

The NLC President  also alleged that the primary motive for this planned increase in the price of fuel is “the insatiable greed of some politicians to get more money to squander; they see increases in fuel prices as  more  access  to  the country’s wealth.

“There is also the calculation to render the new National Minimum wage worthless by embarking on a hyper-inflation-inducing project like the astronomical increase in the prices of petroleum products” he alleged.

Omar further warned that the country faces possible eruption by the masses if the Federal Government goes ahead  to hike the price of fuel against the background of   the prevailing  situation  in the country.

The  Labour leader expressed dismay that the Federal Government is presenting the worn out argument of the need to remove fuel subsidy as justification for increasing the price of fuel.

“This was the same trick played on Nigerian people by the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida military regime in the 80s under the tragedy called  Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP)” the NLC leader stated.

Commenting on the planned in electricity tariff, the NLC President stated that “Yet another plot against the Nigerian people by the Jonathan administration is the plan by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC)  to increase electricity tariff  by between 50 and 100 percent.

He warned that if the Federal Government goes ahead to hike electricity tariff across the country, the NLC would lead workers to protest against the move until the tariff is reversed.

Omar also called on the leadership of the Senate to ensure that the  report of its Committee on Privatisation is not killed ,adding that those who committed crimes against the Nigerian people in the name  of privatization should be brought to justice.

The NLC leader also warned against moves by those in Government to amend the Constitution such that fixing of minimum wage which is currently under the exclusive legislative list would  be shifted to the concurrent list so that state governments could fix salaries as they wish.

He also urged  workers in states whose governments have not shown readiness to pay the minimum wage to embark on strike. These states include Imo, Ekiti, Yobe, Adamawa, Kaduna, katsina, Ebonyi, Anambra and Enugu.