The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has berated the Nigerian Senate for proposing N5 petrol levy on a litre of imported petroleum products as well as the return of toll gate on federal roads, stressing that the Union had commenced mobilization of members for a showdown if the move was not discarded.
The South-West Chairman of the Union, Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo who made the decision of the union known on Saturday during an interaction with NAN stated that the policy was "ill-timed and smacked of insensitivity to the current economic hardship prevalent in the country. “How can the Senate propose such a bill at this particular period when poor Nigerians can hardly feed themselves? The prices of foodstuffs have tripled in the market, while workers’ salary has not been increased"
"This is a joke. Just a year ago, the pump price of petrol was increased from N87 to N145 per litre and Nigerians accepted the increment because of the sincerity of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Any attempt to adjust the price of petrol under any guise will be resisted by the Organized Labour" he concluded.
On June 1, the Chariman Senate Committee on Works, Sen. Kabiru Gaya had presented a bill titled "National Road Bill" on the floor of the Senate. The bill among other things recommended that importers of petroleum product must be made to pay N5 levy on every litre of imported petroleum products.
He explained that the deducted sum would form part of the proposed National Road Fund which would be used for the construction and rehabilitation of federal roads in the country. The bill also recommended the return of toll gates on federal roads as well as deduction of 0.5 per cent on fares paid by passengers traveling on interstate roads.
Since its presentation, the bill has continued to attract reactions from critical stakeholders with some civil society organizations perfecting plans to march to the National Assembly to ventilate their grievances and disapproval of the bill.
