Removal of fuel subsidy will set Nigeria ablaze – NLC

[Defender]

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday sent a warning notice to the Federal Government on the planned removal of fuel subsidy, saying the decision will set the country on fire.

In a statement titled "Those who have Ears Let them Hear!," the congress also pointed out that four months after signing an implementation agreement with the labour movement, the Federal Government has refused to implement the deal.

The NLC President, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, therefore said: "It appears that elements within government with suicidal instincts want to provoke a general strike and mass protests on this issue."

Omar, who advised the President Goodluck Jonathan- led administration not to ignite any fire in the country, noted that no force in the country is greater than the Nigerian people who are the source of all power.

His words:  "We again appeal to the  Jonathan administration not to toy with the prices of petroleum products as this will definitely lead to a conflagration in the country.  The Congress advises the Federal and State Governments to realize that there can be no force in the country that is greater than the Nigerian people from whom all power must flow. Those who have ears, let them heed this advice."

According to the statement that was made available to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the NLC President spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Harmattan School at Kaduna.

He accused the federal government of deliberately devaluing the currency in order to devalue  the N18,000 National Minimum Wage as part of the poverty-inducing measures.

The Nation