The Trade Union Congress had on Monday, blasted the government for the hike in fuel pump price and electrical tariff, calling it a resolve “to further impoverish Nigerians”.

The TUC made this known to CEOAfrica in a statement by its President, Comrade Quadri A. Olaleye and signed by its Secretary General, Comrade (Barr.)  Musa-Lawal Ozigi.

The union expressed surprise about the hike despite all efforts made by organized labour, saying, “this is one increase, too many. Indeed a violation of all understandings we have had with government”.

The statement recalled that the union had earlier agreed with the government on fuel subsidy removal because government had appealed that it was to only way to save the economy and jobs but wondered why the NNPC still regulated the price of a “deregulated” sector.

The statement read in part, “if the government claims to have "deregulated" the downstream sector of the oil and gas (which of course is subsidy removal), it therefore means the independent oil marketers are importing petrol at their own cost. Information at our disposal, however, is that no independent marketer is importing fuel, because they cannot access dollars. The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations (NNPC) is still holding on to that monopoly.

“To make matters worse, it is the NNPC that instructed the new increase and not PPRA. What a regime of contradictions. NNPC has become a behemoth.  “The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings” It appears this fault must be conquered for us to be free.

“From all indications government has again reneged on agreement reached with the organised labour few weeks ago.  In few days the various committees involving government and the organised labour will brief labour and civil society and the outcome of that meeting will determine our next line of action”.