On Tuesday the 3rd of January 2011 protesters shut down petrol stations, formed human barriers along motorways and hijacked buses in Nigeria's biggest city Lagos. This was done as a result of the shock in the doubling of fuel prices.
Most Nigerians see the subsidy as the only benefit they derive from living in an oil rich nation.
“We are meeting this morning on the fuel subsidy removal. We'll hold a press conference by 2 p.m. (15:00 SA time) to announce our decision to Nigerians,” said Owei Lakemfa, general secretary of the National Labour Congress (NLC).
Protests also occurred in other parts of Nigeria on Tuesday, including Kano in the north, the Niger Delta in the southeast and in Ilorin, Kwara State, in the west.
A protest goes fatal
The Nigeria Labour Congress said on Tuesday that it is going to hold President Goodluck Jonathan responsible for a yet to be identified young man allegedly killed by the police in Ilorin, Kwara State during protest against fuel subsidy removal organized in that city.
NLC reaction position was contained in a press release signed by Abdulwaheed Omar, President NLC, the Congress made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday afternoon.
Reports indicated that a young man who was part of the anti fuel hike protest was shot dead around the Post Office in central Ilorin, Kwara State.
NLC alleged that the protester was killed by armed policemen from the Area A Division, close to UBA Ilorin and the State Police Command along Sulu Gambari Road, Ilorin.
While regretting the death of the protester, the NLC said President Jonathan cannot absolve himself from the unfortunate event.
“The Police is directly under the control and command of the Presidency and it is the Jonathan administration’s inhuman policy that has resulted in the murder of an innocent citizen. The NLC holds the Jonathan administration liable for this murder and advises it to fish out its agents who shot protesters in Ilorin and bring them to justice”, said NLC.
“First, the Presidency had invited Labour to a follow-up discussion on the issue of fuel subsidy removal only for it to abort the process by removing the subsidy. Secondly, it announced to Nigerians that it was consulting them on the issue only for it to announce new PMS prices. Thirdly, the government announced that even if the subsidy is to be removed, it will be from April 1, 2012 only for it to be carried out on January 1, 2012”
The Congress also said “attacks on peaceful demonstrators, the arrests in Abuja and the murder of a protester by the police do not portray a government that is interested in dialogue and peaceful negotiations”.
NLC said it is seeking legal opinion as to the constitutionality of spending public funds without appropriation by the National Assembly on the Christopher Kolade Committee set up for the implementation of projects captured in the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme document.
NLC has also commended Nigerians for what it described as massive protests over the removal of fuel subsidy across the country on Tuesday.
General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB), a former Military President of Nigeria, has added his voice to the controversial issue of the withdrawal of fuel subsidy saying that it would have been better for the Federal Government to seek political solutions to the subsidy removal issue and the FG should have also kept its word that the issue would be decided in April 2012 as this would have given the administration enough time to explain its standpoint and consult with the people.
In a statement, Babangida said, “On the issue of fuel subsidy removal, it is my opinion that it is ill-timed.
The issue of subsidy should be seen more as politics and not economics, because the sole purpose of government is for the good of the people and not to create hardship. It is better to seek political solution to the subsidy discourse than invoking the sentiments of economics. Government should have kept its word till April by which time better explanation would have been given before implementation takes effect.
In lieu of these developments, one wonders how the government expects the masses to get around the city.
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