Fuel subsidy removal: Labour Unions’ planned strike lacks justification, by SDP presidential candidate

• Says elections have consequences

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

With no fewer than 20 million Nigerians voting for the All Progressives Congress, APC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Labour Party, LP, in the last general election, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the masses have no genuine reason to protest against the removal of the fuel subsidy by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government.

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the said general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo stated this while reacting to the planned nationwide strike by the nation’s labour unions while answering questions on a television program at the weekend.

Prince Adebayo, a lawyer and media owner, wondered why the Nigerian voters and the Labour unions are now turning around to kick against the removal of the fuel subsidy, when the three leading parties had, expressly, made it clear, during the electioneering campaigns, that they will remove the subsidy if elected into office.

He specifically chastised the Labour unions for its hypocritical statements and actions.

He recalled that his party, the SDP, which promised to keep the subsidy was not elected.

According to Adebayo, “Hours after President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural speech about removal of subsidy, fuel stations across the country increased the fuel pump price by more than 300 percent making the transport operators increased fares with its attendance effects on the passengers.

“Members of the organised Labour under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, described the pronouncement by President Bola Tinubu as outrageous and insensitive to the economic plight Nigerian masses were being subjected to.

“Joe Ajearo, President of the Nigerian Labour Union, advised the government to adopt an alternative strategy that would not adversely hurt the Nigerian while seeking to resolve the issue of subsidy.

“Tinubu’s speech reflected his party’s (APC’s) campaign plans for the country”, he said.

Continuing, the SDP presidential candidate said, “they (the three leading political parties) said they were going to remove fuel subsidy. We thought it was a very bad idea and we debated it all over the country. But the three major parties, which supported subsidy removal-APC PDP and Labour

Party-were handsomely rewarded by the voters.

“People like us, the SDP, said NO, cut the corruption because you need social safety net for the people, and the subsidy is a way to control other cost drivers to avoid cost push inflation. So try to cut the heavy burden of wastage of corruption, not the subsidy.

“The labour unions protesting now were there when these parties publicly said they would remove subsidy, none of them objected, why protesting now?

“You didn’t protest against the administration that engineered the process. Why now? It is now left to the Nigerian people to understand that elections have consequences and next time if you are not happy, the SDP is still here because you have 4 years to think about whether you made a good decision or not”, he said.