Fuel
Strike
Labour Vows to Close Down Banks, Ports
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Ignore NLC, Kupolokun tells Nigerians
By Mike Oduniyi and Chris Nwachuku
The Nigeria Labour Congress
(NLC) yesterday declared that banks, airports and seaports as well as markets
and Nigerian universities would be closed from midnight of June 9, in conformity with the strike and mass
action called to protest the recent increase in fuel prices.
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corpo-ration
(NNPC), Engineer Funsho Kupolokun, however, urged Nigerians to ignore the
strike called by Labour.
Speaking after a meeting of Labour and Civil Society Coalition in Lagos yesterday, NLC President Adams Oshiomhole advised
Nigerians to use the intervening period of today and tomorrow to make enough
withdrawals from the banks and stockpile their homes with foodstuff.
Oshiomhole said that there was nothing on ground to suggest that the strike
would be cancelled and requested Nigerians to prepare for the first phase of
the action which would last for 21 days.
"Nigerians are advised to go to the market and purchase whatever they
need. All the banks are to remain closed, so go to banks and make enough
withdrawals,"Oshiomhole said, adding that petrol stations will also remain
closed.
"Those who have business in Nigeria should do it between now and Tuesday, because all
airports and seaports will be under lock and key. All these are to be effected
by the midnight of June 9 2004," the NLC president declared.
At yesterday's meeting were the leadership of the three major labour groups in
the country namely the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Congress of Free
Trade Union (CFTU). Others include the leadership of National Association of
Nigeria Students (NANS), National Association of Nigerian Traders, Ijaw
National Congress, and Afenifere the Yoruba socio-political group. The civil
society group was led by Dr Beko Ransome Kuti. The university lecturers were
also in attendance.
The NLC course was further bolstered by support from the Ijaw National Council,
which requested foreigners living in the Niger-Delta to either leave the area
or ensure full compliance with Labour directives by ensuring that all oil
companies operating in the area closed shop.
Oshiomhole stated that the resolve of the coalition to sustain the campaign for
a reversal to the old pump prices was informed by government insensitivity to
the needs of the people.
"We are concerned that the Federal Government is not in the mood to
dialogue. We have therefore resolved to remain here and fight and fight and
fight until government sees the futility of its action. "We are ready to
provide leadership for this struggle. We are not unmindful of the fact that
government may decide to prolong this struggle for three weeks in the first
phase. So prepare for 21 days of fasting because we will not give up," the
NLC president noted.
The NLC gave condition under which the strike would be called off. According to
Oshiomhole, it is only when government realised that the leader could not be greater
than the people and that sovereignty lies with the people that the mass action
would be put off.
NLC cautioned government against under-estimating the strength of the people.
He also warned police to avoid anything that would make the peaceful strike and
mass action become violent.
Said Oshiomhole: "Ours is a peaceful protest. Police must do nothing to
turn the rally to a violent riot. We shall not be intimidated by police
brutality."
Reflecting on past strikes, Oshiomhole apologised to Nigerians for the
noticeable mistakes and declared that Labour had learnt enough lessons.
Particularly, he affirmed that a mere notice of invitation to meeting and
resort to judiciary would not lead to suspension of the action and appealed to
Nigerians not to be carried away by government tricks.
"Government has no new trick to play. We cannot be cheated again. Nobody
should be bothered about the judiciary. We have competent hands in peoples
lawyers Gani Fawehinmi and Femi Falana, leadership of NBA (Nigeria Bar Association)
and all progressive lawyers. Let it be clear that invitation for meetings just
for the purpose of buying time will not be enough and will not stop the strike.
It will not work this time, we have learnt enough lessons," said
Oshiomhole.
Justifying the resort to go strike, Oshiomhole countered government argument
that Labour has no right to go on strike over matters outside wages and
conditions of service. Oshiomhole said such argument was insulting in view of
the fact that workers pay tax, vote during election and should have a say in
how their tax is spent as people voted in to leadership are accountable to
them.
He warned government officials not to assume that Nigeria has become a property of an individual, vowing that
Labour and its allies would not allow dictatorship to prevail in the country.
Affirming Labour's commitment to social justice, Oshiomhole said government
does not have an escape route as it would not be allowed to use judiciary to
undermine workers' effort.
"It is interesting that government wanted to use judiciary to scuttle
workers effort when it has demonstrated contempt for judiciary. For us, if
there is any institution that should lead this mass action, it should be the
judiciary, who had been treated with contempt", said NLC President.
Also speaking TUC President Peace Nkiru Obiajulu declared that no court
injunction would affect the resolve to go on strike. "Injunction or no
injunction, arrest or no arrest, strike commences on Wednesday," she said.
The President Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Sule Kano said the
current strike action is an attempt to liberate the Nigerian people and urged
every Nigerian to participate.
Kano noted that all universities in the country had been
notified of the standing order of the National Executive Council to join Labour
and its allies on any strike called to protest any fresh increase in prices of
petroleum products.
The CFTU, whose members in the senior cadre covers banks and airports among
others, revealed that its services would be withdrawn from midnight of June 9, 2004.
According to Princewill Ojeh, all affiliates of CFTU would comply with the
decision to go on strike as "banks, airports and other areas where we
operate shall close to all form of official activities. This is our
commitment."
Afenifere, said it endorsed the effort of Labour to redeem Nigeria from the dictatorship of Obasanjo and appealed to
Nigerians to join forces with workers.
"Nigerian people must unite and advise Obasanjo to allow his policy to
wear human face. We support your action and we shall stand with Labour,"
said Yinka Odumakin, its publicity secretary.
NANS urged Nigerians to treat Obasanjo like any other dictators, assuring
Labour that students had been effectively mobilised to enforce the strike.
The civil society groups which spoke through Ransome-Kuti said their commitment
is unshaken. "This time, June 9 will be a red letter day; come rain, come
sunshine, the strikes will go on. No retreat, no surrender, no going
back."
The current crisis was inflammed by the 19 percent increase in fuel prices,
where petrol is now being sold for about N50 a litre up from N41.70.
NNPC GMD Kupolokun however said in Lagos at the weekend that the choice
presently before Nigerians was that of an "enduring uninterrupted supply
of petroleum products or recourse to the perennial product shortage of the
recent past."
Kupolokun said the price increase was as a result of the deregulation of the
downstream oil sector, where the NNPC was now made to buy crude oil at international
market rate and where marketers too, now import fuel at high cost.
"The NLC leadership is quite aware of these facts unless it is saying that
the NNPC and markters should run aground," Kupolokun said.
According to him, the NNPC has been subsidising fuel supply by N400 million
daily after procuring fuel at N51 per litre while selling at N33.50 a litre.
"The choice before Nigerians is whether we want to go back to the
situation in the past 10 years when we are faced with incessant fuel scarcity
or now that deregulation had ensured uninterrupted fuel supply because more
companies can now supply fuel," Kupolokun said.
