ABUJA — THE Nigeria Labour Congress may resume its nationwide strike over the latest hike in fuel prices just as it has accused the Chairman of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi of allegedly colluding with fuel marketers to cause the fresh hike.
The accusation of the NLC was contained in a letter sent to the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Mr Funso Kupolokun by the Acting General Secretary, Owei Lakemfa. The letter, dated July 6, 2004, pointed out that the PPPRA Chairman had held a unilateral closed-door meeting with the marketers hours before the marking up of the prices.
It reads: “I wish to convey to you the displeasure and opposition of the Nigeria Labour Congress to this week’s fresh increase in the prices of fuel products.
“This is coming after a closed-door meeting that the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Petroleum Products Prices Regulatory Agency, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, held with marketers on June 30, 2004 before the scheduled meeting of the Board and to which other members of the board were excluded.
“As you know these new increases, which are completely unwarranted, violated the subsisting order of the Federal High Court to the effect that the price regime pre-Februaray 7, 2004 be maintained.
“This was the basis for the suspension of the strike action declared by the NLC.
“As the key player in the supply of products and determination of the price regime, you have the duty to immediately intervene to restore the prices to the pre-February 7, 2004 level as ordered by the Federal High Court.
Any vacillation in doing this will imply the policy-makers in the sector are interested in precipitating mass discontent, heating up the polity and portraying the Federal Government as incapable of honouring its commitments.
“Everything must be done to ensure that the increases are reversed, as the Congress would have no alternative but to respond based on its strong view of the situation.”
The NLC acting secretary also wrote a similar letter to the Inspector-General of Police in which he called on the police to intervene by ensuring compliance with the court order. In the letter to the Inspector-General, the NLC reminded the police that the court had expressly requested that the order be effected by the police with the effect that there must be no further increase while the order lasts.
“The NLC is strongly calling on the Inspector-General to give effect to this order made expressly on the Nigeria Police in line with its mandate of enforcing the law and orders of the courts.”
