Regina Otokpa 
…says govt making Nigerians poorer
Following the recent hike in fuel prices, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to be bold enough to tell Nigerians where it intends to take the country.
The President of NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero condemned the increase in a statement entitled “What Next After Increase in Pump Price? on Wednesday in Abuja, lamenting that the government keeps making Nigerians poorer despite the harsh economy which was already making it difficult for Nigerians to survive.
He said: “We are dismayed by the latest increase in the pump price of petrol. It looks like the only thing this government is known for is an increase in the pump price of petrol without commensurate capacity of Nigerians or mitigatory measures.
“Even following the logic of market forces, we find it an aberration that a private company (NNPCL) is the one fixing prices and projecting itself as a hegemonic monopoly.
“We challenge the government to go to the drawing board and present us with a blueprint for inclusive economic growth and national development instead of this spasmodic ad hocism and palliative policy.
“It needs no stating the fact that the latest wave of increase has grossly altered the calculations of Nigerians once again at a time they were reluctantly coming to terms with their new realities.
“It will further deepen poverty as production capacities dip, more jobs lost with multidimensional negative effects.
“In light of this, we urge the government to immediately reverse this rate hike as previous increases did not produce any good results. People only got poorer.
“But more fundamentally, the government should be bold enough to tell Nigerians in advance the destination it wants to take the country.”
