BY Emeka Mamah
LAGOS—Textile workers in the country have commended the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, for distancing itself from the Federal Government’s move to withdraw fuel subsidy saying that the denial has exposed government’s “insincerity and lack of openness’’ on the issue of fuel subsidy removal as well as its divide and rule tactics against the people.

The Secretary General of the textile workers and Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Issa Aremu, made this known yesterday while reacting to NECA’s insistence that it was not in support of government’ moves to remove the subsidy.

In a statement entitled, ‘’We Commend NECA for standing for Good Governance on the so called Removal of fuel subsidy,’’ Aremu said: ‘’We read with satisfaction the statement issued by the NECA, dissociating itself from the reported support of the Organised Private Sector, OPS, for the removal of fuel subsidy.

‘’The statement signed by the Director-General, O.A. Oshinowo is commendably loud enough and timely (and) has once again confirmed the insincerity of purpose and lack of openness of the Federal Government with respect to the issue of petroleum products prising and restructuring of the petroleum sector as a whole.

‘’The solution is not in the current discredited divide-and-misrule approach to organised labour and private sector by the Federal Government.”

‘’We are in a democracy; Federal government asking for equities must come out with clean hands and hearts in openness and with facts about the rot and corruption in the downstream petroleum sector.

‘’This can only be done through open social dialogue with organised and representative bodies of critical stakeholders and not preferred friends and cronies of governments.

‘’President Goodluck Jonathan must learn to cultivate and build institutions.

‘’The president must avoid the pitfalls of cronyism in which policy formulation is based on who the President claims to know and who in turn claims to support the President.

‘’Nigerians are too important to be led by the nose by a cabal. We have parliaments and organised millions of Nigerians who the President owes accountability.

‘’NECA is commended for standing up to defend the principles of institution building, representation, openness and social dialogue as opposed to the current policy dictatorship and policy arm twisting of the Federal government.

‘’The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, stands for openness and consultation as contained in ILO conventions ratified by Nigeria.’’