Wednesday 4 January 2012

JOINT COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE EMEGERGENCY MEETING OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCILS OF THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS AND THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS OF NIGERIA

In Defence of the Nigerian People on Fuel Price Increases!
Joint Communiqué of the Emergency Meeting of the National Executive Councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) Held on Wednesday 4th January, 2012.
The National Executive Councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) took place today, Wednesday 4th January, 2012.
The NLC and TUC noted that:
The Presidency announced the removal of petroleum subsidy and adjusted upward, the pump price of petrol on 1st January, 2012 even when it claimed it was consulting Nigerians.
Due to this upward review of prices, the pump price for petrol is now selling for between N141 and N200 per litre nation-wide rather than N65. This prohibitive increase in price of PMS once again confirms the position of Labour that deregulation to this government means incessant price increase of a strategic product (petrol) that impact on cost of living, cost of production and the general well-being of increasingly impoverish Nigerians.
The immediate generalized negative impact of this price increase on transport cost, food, drugs, schools fees, rents, indicate that government is totally wrong to underestimate the impact assessment of the so-called  deregulation policy.
Due to the untoward hardship workers and other Nigerians are experiencing based on excessive increase in petrol prices,  there have been sporadic protests by Nigerians in at least 10 cities;
These protests, which are peaceful have witnessed the use of unprecedented force by the Police leading to harassment, intimidation, arrests and the murder of a protester.
There is a subsisting understanding between Congress and the Federal government in 2009 that removal of subsidy will not commence until certain conditions have been met. These include the fixing of all the refineries and building new ones, regular power supply, and provision of other social infrastructure such as railways and repairs of roads as well as eliminating the corruption associated with supply and distribution of petroleum products in the downstream sector of the oil industry;
After exhaustive deliberations and consultations with all sections of the populace, the NLC, TUC and their pro-people allies demand that the Presidency immediately reverses fuel prices to N65.  If the Government fails to do so, they direct that indefinite general strikes, mass rallies and street protests be held across the country with effect from Monday 9th January, 2012.
From that Monday, 9th January 2012 date, all offices, oil production centres, air and sea ports, fuel stations, markets, banks, amongst others will be shut down.
We advise Nigerians to stockpile basic needs especially food and water.
We call on all Nigerians to participate actively in this movement to rescue our country. The emphasis is on peaceful protests, rallies and strikes while refusing to be intimidated.  Labour calls on the police, armed forces and other security agencies to reject orders that they turn their weapons on fellow Nigerians.  We warn that anybody who does so, will be individually brought to justice.
The primary objective of this patriotic call and movement is to revert PMS price to N65, restore normalcy and reclaim Nigeria for Nigerians.
No Retreat!
No Surrender!!
Forward Ever!!!
 Abdulwahed I. Omar                    Peter Esele
President, NLC                         President, TUC

3 comments:

  1. d thing is just that people don't have d fear of God in them.

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  2. ‎"Greater Is He That Is In Me,than he that is in the world''

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  3. OUR DEMANDS – THE WAY FORWARD
    Nigerians, we have to use this opportunity to make changes that last. Changes that will move us to our place of destiny and prosperity as a Nation. We must make politics unattractive to thieves who get involved in politics to steal money. We must insist on the following changes.
    1. House of Representative Members salaries N5,ooo,000.00 annually. Everything else N3,000,000.00 (housing, etc, etc)
    2. Senators salaries N6,000,000.00 annually. Everything else N4,000,000.00 ( housing, etc ,etc)
    3. All other salaries of politically appointed government officials should be reviewed downwards accordingly. The goal is to attract only those who have a heart to serve because they have something to offer and it is their passion. They would probably be willing to do it for free. Those Nigerians exist in our society today.
    4. Only the President should have a full security detail, no one else should have any police man attached to them, Governors and Ministers should have only one police man. If they are doing their jobs so well they would not need to protect themselves from the people who elected them, their people should love them.
    5. The Law should be amended to allow for anyone found guilty of embezzling government money over one million naira to be jailed for 25 years.
    6. No use of siren except the President, everyone should enjoy the traffic and bad roads.
    7. All government officials must use public Nigerian Hospitals like the people they serve, they must not go abroad, they must not use private hospitals, if they do they must loose their jobs and go to jail, minimum 5 years.
    8. All government officials must travel by road ( to experience it as we do) to all official trips except for serious emergencies.
    9. Children of all government officials must attend public Nigerian intuitions of education, they must not school abroad.
    10. Court cases involving armed robbery, kidnapping, bombing and terrorism must be concluded within 60 days and those found guilty should be executed.
    11. The details of everything above can be fine tuned further but we have to have clear demands that will have a permanent benefit for the Nation and make our sacrifice worthwhile. Lets think strategically. Please broadcast this demand if you believe it will make a difference. God bless you.
    Nigerians well done!! We have finally found our voice and realized our position in the scheme of things. We are the people, the employer of the government, we elected them. Please don’t topple the government, the people who will take over could be worse than the ones there now. At the moment we are reacting, which is good but we must immediately start thinking pro actively. After we Occupy Nigeria and prevail, then what? Even if the price of petrol is returned to N65 per liter. Do we go back to doing business as usual in Nigeria? Where has that led us? Is Nigeria any where close to achieving its God given potential?

    TUNDE DADA – TDFOUNDATION@GMAIL.COM
    January 3, 2012

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