President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, says Nigerians are being deceived on the issue of petrol pricing.
Speaking on Politics Today, a
Channels TV programme, Ajaero said the masses are being punished unnecessarily.
Heraldsviews had reported that
the product’s pump price surged to N617 per litre in the federal capital
territory (FCT) and N568 a litre in Lagos.
According to Ajaero, the
President Bola Tinubu administration is toying with Nigerians, and the Nigerian
National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is only being clever by half.
“NNPCL cannot import and say
the commodity is imported by marketers, that is not true,” he said.
“If the government withdrew
subsidies of petroleum products and suddenly, while we are about to start
committee meetings, there is another price increase, why then will government
seek a court injunction and use other measures if it is not their business?
“It seems we have entered a
reign where Nigerians are being punished unnecessarily and where lies are
coming up everywhere.
“If you have a single market
where everybody must change dollars at N800/$1, you removed the market where
people were changing dollars at N450 to import, it means the very moment that
dollar value increases to even N900/N1000, you will tell us that you imported
it at current value.
“Despite the fact that the
products you have now are not the ones that were imported under N800/$.
“Clearly, the government is
toying with Nigerians. What is happening is not economics, but a reign of
impunity.”
On May 29, President Bola
Tinubu announced that “petrol subsidy is gone” — a pronouncement which
immediately led to a hike in the pump price of the product across the country.
Subsequently, NNPCL increased
the price of petrol at its retail outlets, with independent marketers following
suit.
Heraldviews had reported that
transport costs soared by over 100 percent in the wake of the president’s
inaugural speech.
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