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Following the increase in pump price of fuel to N855 by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has described the action as traumatic and nightmarish.
The NLC accused President Bola Tinubu of betraying them on an agreement reached earlier.
The labour union said that the promise made before they accepted the N70,000 minimum wage by the President was that the pump price of fuel would not be reviewed upward.
The workers' body noted that they understood that the N70,000 was not enough for workers, but the Federal Government’s offer was accepted based on the promise that fuel prices would be maintained irrespective of the economic realities.
Meanwhile, the workers have demanded the immediate reversal of the fuel and electricity hike, the release of hunger protesters, and others.
The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, who stated this on Tuesday while reacting to the NNPCL's increase in pump price from 650 to N855, stressed that the Tinubu administration had since assuming office never kept promises made to Nigerian workers.
He said: “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the federal government clandestinely increases the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol.
"One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as the new national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of petrol would not be increased even though we knew that N70,000 was insufficient.
"We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil's alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old PMS rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.
"But here we are, barely one month after and with the government yet to commence payment of the new national minimum wage, confronted by a reality we cannot explain.
"It is both traumatic and nightmarish. Yet, when we told the government that its approach to resolving the fuel subsidy contradictions was patently faulty and would not last, its front row cheerleaders sneered at us, saying we did not understand basic economics.
"But if truth be told, this act of betrayal is consistent with the character of this government. We recall the assurances we were given by the leadership of the National Assembly on the 250 per cent tariff hike, that it had been dealt with and there was no need to openly engage the Minister of Power who was at that meeting."
He said instead of the promised reversal, the rate had since been jerked up further putting more Nigerians and businesses in jeopardy.
Ajaero said the combined effects of government's ferocious right-wing market policies brought Nigerians and Nigeria to their all-time low and led to the #EndBadGovernance protests.
The NLC chairman further said, "Rather than make amends, government arrested and hounded into detention some of those who took part and some of those who had nothing to do with the protests.
"They charged them with criminal conspiracy, subversion, treasonable felony, terrorism financing and cyber crime with an intent to overthrow the government of President Tinubu."
