Fuel prices to crash in 6 months—Commissioner
BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME
PORT HARCOURT: Most residents of Rivers state  were taken aback  shortly after the nationwide strike commenced in Port Harcourt . The news said the state government had  struck a deal  with  the state branch of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria , IPMAN to offset  part of the cost of ensuring petrol  sold for N137 per litre in the state.

The immediate understanding was that Rivers state government had sneaked in petroleum subsidy which the federal government annulled this time through the back door.  It took some extra effort on the part of the state Commissioner of Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari to clarify issues.

The Commissioner said government had a fruitful meeting with the marketers where it was resolved that fuel would sell in the state at N137 per litre.  And to achieve this, the government would assist the marketers with what she termed bridging finance which would be paid back. She said it was an interest free loan and would run for about six months when the government expected that the pump price of fuel would have crashed based on market forces.

The Commissioner also said the government had set up a committee to be headed by Prof Nimi Briggs to acquire buses through a special arrangement from development institution which would be distributed to road transport workers in the state.  The buses would be paid for under a human friendly arrangement.

Gov Rotimi Amaechi

Adding that the government would set up seven discount markets round the state to ease the burden of buying food items, she also spoke of a deal the government struck with the road transport workers to peg fare for routes in the state capital.

At the time of this report, commercial vehicle drivers were yet to comply with fare rate advertised by the government for various routes in the state capital. For instance, bus drivers were still charging N100 from Mile 3 to Mile 1. Some of the drivers said that they were yet to key into the agreement government had with their union because of the fuel scarcity in the state.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, A.C.N in a statement issued by the Rivers state chapter said the palliatives by the state government were not realizable. The statement signed by Mr Jeery Needam said the government failed to note that several economic factors triggered by the hike in the pump price of petrol certainly informed the hike in the transport fares.

The party said the government only dialogued on routes in the state capital, Port Harcourt leaving out cost for inter local government and community routes.

The party re affirmed its position that the only way to properly deregulate the downstream sector of the petroleum industry was for government to ensure the nation’s refineries were in functional state.

Some residents said for the agreement the government had with IPMAN and the road transport workers to be effective, it had to set up a task force to monitor compliance. How possible this will be is another issue because the task force could be compromised, some of them feared.

The strike called by labour was effective in the state as government offices, banks and offices of multinational oil firms etc were shut but the mass protest that was to be led by labour in conjunction with civil society groups was a relative failure.  On the first day,  only members of civil society groups matched on the streets from Isaac Boro Park down to Garrison where most of them took turns to address the protesters.

Members of labour, it was gathered, went round offices to ensure compliance to the no work order by its national secretariat.  Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, TUC in the state, Comrade Chika Unuegbu was earlier at Isaac Boro park to cheer up members of the civil society groups before heading to monitor effectiveness of the strike at offices all over.

National Secretary of United Action for Democracy, UAD, Comrade Ken Henshaw    told the gathering that there was no basis for withdrawal of subsidy.  He tagged the protest a carnival of the oppress.

Former Chairmen of the University of Port Harcourt chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr Andrew Efemini and Dr Lucky Akaruese who were part of the protesters said they came out to join the match against tyrants. Efemini who wore torn long sleeve shirt said he could not afford to replace it because his salary as a  university lecturer was too meager to take care of such in the face of the hike in the pump price of petrol.

According to him, Nigerians were already paying too much for a liter of petrol when it was N65 per litre.  Noting that the sudden hike in the pump price of petrol was an abuse of power in a popular democracy, he said the federal government should heed the cry of the people and immediately revert the price back to N65. “I am saying there is no subsidy, so the issue of subsidy does not arise.

They have rendered salaries meaningless. They have devalued our currency, our naira is worthless. We cannot remain slaves to IMF. Sanusi and Okonjo Iweala, all these economist managing our affairs that use calculators without looking at the effect of policies. They should go to Akwa Ibom. The governor did not use subsidy money to transform the state”, he said.

Adding, Dr Lucky Akaruese, a former ASUU leader in Uniport called on the federal government to reverse back to N65 per liter.  Another academic, Dr Sofiri Peterside said he came to participate in the mass action by the civil society group so that he could be shot by security forces.

“I came out to be shot by security forces today while protesting the hike in the price of petrol. The fundamental problem confronting the country now is security. Effort should have been devoted to addressing this problem. We are almost returning to the circumstances that generated the civil war.  Government should go back to 65 naira per litre”, he said.

About 60 patrol vehicles with heavily armed security operatives were seen driving behind the protesters as they marched peacefully on the every busy Aba road.  The protesters made sure their action did not block traffic flow. Filling stations were shut down in most parts of the city.

The second day was a different ball game as members of the civil society expressed fears that the ranks of labour in the state had been infiltrated.

National Secretary of the United Action for Democracy, Comrade Henshaw expressed surprise that morning with the decision of the  leadership of labour to lead some of its  members on a match to Government House, about a kilometre for dialogue.

He said the UAD could not join them because it was not part of the directives from the national secretariat of labour. According to him, the instruction was for all state chapters of labour to mobilise into the streets of their various states sensitizing the people on why they should be part of the protest.

“We are not comfortable with the leadership of labour in the state.  We came here only to see labour leadership matching to Government House, Port Harcourt instead of taking to the streets to sensitise the people as directed by NEC.”

Akaruese and Efemini said they were disappointed with the turnout of labour for the mass rally. “We had extensive protest yesterday. This morning, we wanted to participate in the one by labour. We came and saw how scanty they were, suddenly they started spreading rumour that terrorists were in Port Harcourt. They left us and started marching to Government House.”

Condemning the action of labour in the state, Efemini said they disobeyed the directive of their NEC to go to the streets and mobilise the people. “We are condemning the leadership of NLC without reservations. Yes offices are on strike but it is different from protest. The directive was for them to mobilise people on the streets for the protest today.”
When contacted for comment on the allegation, Unuegbu who said he was very upset with the reaction of the civil society group said they matched to Government House, Port Harcourt to present a letter to the governor.

He said it would be unfair to accuse labour of sell out because it was his team that went to shut down air operations at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Monday and also went round companies in the state ensuring compliance with the strike order.

Meantime, in the front of Government House, Port Harcourt where the governor received the labour leaders, he enjoined them to call off the strike, noting that President Jonathan was on a mission to rescue the country with the removal of fuel subsidy.

At the time of this story, banks and offices remained locked in the state. Markets were opened and private offices were seen doing business. Commercial vehicles were plying all routes unhindered.