The call on Nigerian
workers by the umbrella body of its unions, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC)
and Trade Union Congress (TUC), to shut down the economy beginning Wednesday
may be still-born, Ripples Nigeria investigations have shown. The workers are demanding
that the pump price of petrol be restored to N87 per litre instead of N145 per
litre.
The
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, served notice of its intentions at the end of a
National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Friday. His counterpart,
Mr Bobboi Kaigama of the TUC echoed a similar plan when he said in Lagos that
its members had given government up to Wednesday to rescind the fuel price
hike.
Both
unions later on Saturday issued a joint communiqué urging Nigerians to
stockpile enough food items to last them awhile for the prosecution of the
current struggle against neo-liberal agenda in Nigeria.
Investigations,
however, show that the planned disruption of economic activities by NLC and TUC
to press for a reversal of prices may hit the rocks even before take-off. A
petroleum industry source confided in Ripples Nigeria that, though workers’
agitations were anticipated, the federal government was confident that it had
done sufficient ground work to make the new petrol price regime a ‘faith accompli.’
Speaking
on condition of anonymity our source said, “Government’s move to deregulate the
down-stream sector was deliberate and well thought out. President Buhari and
his team have a two-pronged strategy to contain any backlash that may arise.
“The
President and his cabinet were well prepared for this and you could tell from
the way they went about marketing the pain and gains of the policy initiative.
This explains why the 2016 budget was very silent on any subsidy regime. No one
could have missed the coordinated barrage of articles and social media
engagements soon after the pronouncement.”
Our
source further noted, “It was Ibe Kachikwu’s lot to lead the debate. Never mind
the double speak when it became obvious that the junior Petroleum Minister wasn’t
doing enough to safe-guard the ruling party’s (APC’s) endangered goodwill.
Through him, the government was constantly in touch with us in the downstream
sector.
“The
tacit support given by PENGASSAN and NUPENG to the deregulation exercise was
very predictable. Beyond the issue of fresh empowerment to players in
downstream operations, what many did not also realize was that there were still
loads of unresolved subsidy payments and that members expect a reciprocal
gesture from Buhari for their support.”
He added, “Don’t forget that the
subsidy regime itself was fraught with plenty of fraud under the last
administration. What looks like a capitulation by us is clearly a protection of
self-interest.
“I think that it would be an uphill
task for the NLC and TUC to ground the economy and force a reversal of policy
without the support of NUPENG and PENGASSAN. It is not sustainable. At best,
they would try.”
There are, however, indications that
government plans to meet with the leadership of organized labour before the
Wednesday deadline. A Presidency source
told Ripples Nigeria that, “the Buhari-led administration is willing to make
concessions in the area of salary increment which has been a cardinal agitation
by workers. We know that they need soft landing”
He acknowledged that the presidency is
making frantic efforts to ensure that the negotiations with workers are not
protracted. Said he, “The relevant ministry and departments already have a
mandate to ensure that the concerns of labour are treated with dispatch so that
peace returns quickly for the implementation of the 2016 budget.
“Mr President is also personally in
touch with leaders of the APC, especially the national leader, Asiwaju Ahmed
Tinubu, to rein in ‘radicals’ who think that the party is slaughtering its
political goodwill too early in the life of the administration.”
Ripples Nigeria investigations show
that the long queues that used to be a regular feature across most states,
especially Lagos and Abuja are beginning to disappear, leaving many to believe
that the government policy initiative might return some level of productivity
to the economy.
Outside Lagos and the federal capital,
Abuja, petrol is hardly sold at official rates.
Already, the PENGASSAN and NUPENG,
have tactically removed themselves from any planned strike, while the umbrella
body for private sector employers in the country, Nigeria Employers’
Consultative Association, NECA, has faulted the plan by labour to go on strike,
urging the private sector employees to ignore the strike directive and go about
their normal businesses.
On its part, the National Association
of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) said on Saturday insisted that it is
in support of federal government’s resolve to fully deregulate the downstream
sector of the oil and gas industry.
Also, a faction of the NLC led by Mr.
Joe Ajaero, is yet to take a stand on the strike action, saying it would be
meeting with market women and other informal sector workers and civil society
groups on how to force the Federal Government to meet its demands.
As things stand, the NLC and TUC
planned protests may just run short of achieving its planned impact to force
the administration’s hand, as government seems to have covered all its bases.
Source: RipplesNigeria
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