The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has called on the federal government to reverse the recent petrol price increase. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) raised fuel prices on Wednesday, causing outrage across the country.
In Abuja, the price rose from N897 per litre to N1,030, while in Lagos it jumped from N855 to N998. Prices in other regions also surged, with the North-East seeing N1,070 per litre, the South-West at N1,025, the South-East at N1,045, and the South-South reaching N1,075 per litre.
In a statement issued by Ajaero, the NLC demanded the immediate reversal of the price hike, criticizing the NNPCL’s role in setting prices. Ajaero expressed concern that a private entity was determining petrol prices, calling it an “aberration.”
“We are dismayed by the latest increase in the pump price of petrol. It seems that the only consistent action of this government is raising fuel prices, without considering the capacity of Nigerians to bear the burden or implementing adequate mitigatory measures,” Ajaero said.
He questioned the logic of monthly price increases when the new minimum wage had not yet been implemented, adding, “Even following the principles of market forces, it is illogical for a private company to act as a monopoly in fixing fuel prices.”
Ajaero urged the government to rethink its economic policies and present a clear, comprehensive plan for national development rather than relying on what he called “spasmodic, ad-hoc measures and temporary palliatives.”
He warned that the price hike would deepen poverty, reduce production capacity, and lead to further job losses, with far-reaching negative consequences for Nigerians. “This latest increase has disrupted people’s lives again, just when they were reluctantly adjusting to the previous hike,” he said. “It will only worsen the hardship facing Nigerians.”
Ajaero urged the government to reverse the price hike immediately, noting that previous increases had failed to improve the economic situation, leaving people poorer. He also called on the government to be transparent about its long-term vision for the country’s economic future.
Speaking later at the launch of a book titled The Tripartite: Understanding the Interplay between Workers, Employers, and Government by Sharon Ijasan, Ajaero rallied Nigerians to unite against the fuel price increase. “This is not a fight for the labour movement alone. Nigerians must come together to resist this unjustified hike,” he said.
Ajaero questioned whether governance had been reduced to a series of petrol price increases, saying, “It seems like every day, the focus of the government is just to raise fuel prices. Is that all governance is about?”
He also highlighted that agreements on critical issues, such as the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and the functioning of the Port Harcourt refinery, had not been fulfilled. “We have agreed to explore CNG as an alternative, but there has been no significant impact. The Port Harcourt refinery is still not operational,” Ajaero added.
The NLC president called for a united response to address the ongoing crisis, stressing that the solution required more than just the efforts of the labour movement.
