Union refuses to accept hike in petroleum products prices

olamide oni

April 12, 2016 2:08 PM

“The current fuel crisis has adverse consequences on the socio-economic life of the nation."

Dr Nasir Isa

The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) has said it will not accept any increase in the prices of petroleum products.

This was made known by the ASUU National President, Dr Nasir Isa, on Monday, April 11.

During a media briefing, Isa said that such increment would worsen the hardship Nigerians were currently experiencing. He advised that the Federal Government should step up efforts at implementing its pronounced policies.

“The current fuel crisis has adverse consequences on the socio-economic life of the nation; it has increased the cost of food, transportation, electric power as well as the general cost of living.

“It has widened the distance between the government and the people and created distrust between the people and the government.

“The government should implement its proclaimed policy on the oil and gas sector; on no account should this result in any increase in the price of petroleum products because Nigerians have suffered enough.

“If any increment of the prices of petroleum products is forced upon the people, our union will join Nigerian workers to resist until the increase is reversed.’’

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Isa also added that the government is not fast enough when it comes to implementing its policies in the oil and gas sector He listed some of the government’s promises as getting the refineries working, ending crude oil and refined products swap and re-introducing direct sale and direct purchase in the oil sector.

Isa also recalled the Federal Government’s promise to make specific and unambiguous pronouncement on petroleum subsidy.

He said that there was no provision in the 2016 budget to back up the policy statement about scholarship for students pursuing science education.

He also added that the Treasury Single Account (TSA) was a violation of university autonomy and as such not acceptable to the university system

Isa said that there were lots of incursions, including circulars which breached university autonomy and academic freedom.

He called for the creation of a genuine labour party that would serve as a platform for workers as most workers did not have the money to contest in the existing political parties.

olamide oni