By Victor Ahiuma-Young
LAGOS— THE United Labour Congress, ULC, yesterday, said Nigerians should not be blackmailed  by the Petroleum Products, Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA and oil marketers, by saying the current pump price of fuel was no longer realistic.

In a presentation to the House of Representatives Public Hearing on PMS pricing template held between Monday and yesterday, labour insisted that its members were opposed to any pricing template that is based on imports.

Also, the new labour centre, in a presentation by its Acting General Secretary, Mr. Chris Onyeka, said: “We are not opposed to running an efficient downstream sector but as we have reiterated times without number, this will be aided and must be predicated on the agreed timelines and milestones: reactivating existing refining capacity internally and building new refineries especially the modular type and others to expand local refining capacity.

“As a short term measure, government should free the process of importing petroleum products by making it an all comers affair and remove the corrupt licensing regime.”

“The government should also dredge the ports to deepen the draught, thus carrying capacity of the channels to make lithering more cost effective. It should throw away once and for all, the pricing template that guarantees profit and margins to operators despite the inefficiencies.

“We reject any pricing template that is based on imports. We submit that the current template as is being used is based on gross inefficiencies and is indeed riddled with corruption and has become unfortunately a permanent national shame.

Nigerians are worried whether they elected those in government to be punished? They wonder if it was a mistake to trust our leaders with the honourable task of governance? Why is governance in Nigeria not bringing joy and succour to the citizenry rather than misery? When will Nigerians hear good news again from their government? Why the constant plot to inflict more pain on the people again and again and again?”