Fuel Price Hike; NLC Protest Grounds Business Activities In Delta

By Ochei Matthew, Asaba
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Wednesday crippled business activities in Asaba, Delta state capital over the increase in the price of petrol.
Addressing the workers, the 1st vice chairman of NLC, Comrade Jonathan Jemirieyigbe who led the protest said that the purpose of the protest and strike was to register their grievances over the fuel hike and to intimate government of the commencement of the strike.
“We the NLC are here today, saying that a reversal to the old price is the only panacea to end this strike or failure to do so, the will be indefinite” he said.
Comrade Jemirieyigbe stressed that the recent petrol increment from N86.50 to N145 was having adverse effect on workers and Nigerians in general, noting with a dismay that workers can no longer cope with the high cost of living due to the prevailing economic hardship on Nigerian workers.
According to him, “the order of the National Assembly on the need not to increase the electricity tariff on account of not seeing a stable electricity supply and went ahead unilateral to increase the tariff and the fact that they have seeing NLC to be silence on it and they went again to increase pump price of petrol even when labour and the populace are against it”.
He disclosed that a 10-man committee including National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS) and bankers to monitor offices to ensure that the gates were under lock and key.
Addressing NLC members at the Government House, Asaba, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by the Chief of Staff Government house, Mr. Tam Brisibe, expressed appreciation for the peaceful way workers conducted themselves during the rally.
Okowa noted that “Government House is the House of the people and if people come to the House to lay their complaint, they only come to get their rights,” adding that government “is aware of the support of the Nigeria Labour Congress has consistently given the state government.”
He said that there was nothing that affected the NLC that government would treat lightly, assuring them that the issue on the ground would be negotiated and resolved and the will of Nigerian people would prevail at the end.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Alkali Baba Usman, thanked the group for their peaceful and organized protest, saying that he knows Labour as law-abiding group.
He assured workers that no police officer would carry any weapon against them in the course of their protest.
The protest, which started at about 8 o’clock in the morning at the popular Nnebisi Road, Asaba matched to Government House, Police Headquarters and terminated at the Labour House with placards.
Ministries, government parastatals, NTA, banks, shops including state-own media gates were under lock and key during the protest.