TUC Wants NNPC’s Oil Importation Monopoly Stopped 

On the heels of the continued increase in price of petrol, the Trade Union Congress have decried the fact that independent marketers lack access to foreign exchange thereby making the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation the sole importer of petroleum products.

TUC in a statement on Tuesday said that with the deregulation of the sector, the independent marketers who ought to be empowered to import product into the country have remained without means to import.

TUC in the statement signed by the President, Quadri Olaleye, and Secretary-General, Musa-Lawal Ozigi, said recent increase in petrol pump price, was contrary to the resolve reached at the previous meeting with the government.

It said, “Information at our disposal, however, is that no independent marketer is importing fuel, because they cannot access dollars. The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations is still holding on to that monopoly.

“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.”

The Congress noted that the increase would further impoverish Nigerians despite the effort made by the organised labour in the last meeting with the government on hikes in fuel price and electricity tariff.

“This is one increase, too many. Indeed, a violation of all understandings we have had with the government.

“We recall that at our meeting the government appealed that subsidy removal was the only way out, else the economy would collapse and there would be massive job losses. We agreed with them to save the economy and the jobs.

“What a regime of contradictions. 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.”