The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and other stakeholders have strongly criticized the Federal Government following the sharp rise in fuel prices to between N900 and N970 per litre, implemented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL). The NLC, in a statement by its president Joe Ajaero, expressed a “deep sense of betrayal,” accusing President Bola Tinubu of reneging on the understanding that fuel prices would not increase despite agreeing to a N70,000 minimum wage. The Congress demanded an immediate rollback of the new fuel prices, the release of detained protesters, and a reversal of the recent 250% electricity tariff hike.
Okechukwu Nwaguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law Accountability and Advocacy Centre, described the price hike as “alarming” and warned it would worsen the cost-of-living crisis, impacting transportation, food prices, and overall inflation. He urged the government to address the root causes of economic challenges and criticized it for adopting “anti-people” measures.
Juwon Sanyaolu, National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, expressed disappointment that the government ignored the demands of the recent anti-hunger protests, leading to the call for a nationwide protest on October 1st. Sanyaolu stated that the government still has time to address the protesters’ demands, including reversing the fuel price increase.
