Civil society organisations have backed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over its concerns about fuel pricing, insisting that Nigerians deserve greater transparency and fairness in the downstream petroleum sector.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) accused the government of appearing more concerned with protecting business interests in the oil sector than addressing the welfare of citizens.
HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, made the position known in a telephone interview on Thursday.
Onwubiko said Nigerians were bearing the consequences of what he described as the government’s “disproportionate interest” in the comfort of oil marketers.
“The NLC is spot on. How can you explain why the only oil refinery in Nigeria and those who import petroleum products are selling at almost the same price?” he asked.
“This doesn’t make sense. Something is deeply wrong and the excuse that it is a free market is not adding up. The prices are supposed to be competitive and Nigerians ought to enjoy lower prices if things were done properly.”
The NLC had earlier accused the Federal Government and oil marketers of working against the interests of Nigerians, arguing that increased local refining should have resulted in lower fuel prices.
HURIWA said Nigerians would continue to bear the burden of high fuel costs unless the government demonstrated stronger commitment to transparency and fair competition in the downstream sector.
Also supporting the NLC’s position, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the primary responsibility of government was to protect the welfare and security of citizens.
He said government policies should be designed around those objectives.
“Since government announced the removal of fuel subsidies and the deregulation of the energy sector, government has not given Nigerians cause to believe that it is not involved in the pricing of the commodity,” Rafsanjani said.
“There are several regulatory agencies in the sector but they appear to be more interested in protecting the cabal that has over the years made huge profits from importing finished products instead of refining our crude.
“This has created a situation where Nigerians are forced to pay through their noses to get products. It is sold for one price in the morning and a higher rate in the afternoon and evening. We cannot continue like this.”
CSOs Back NLC’s Fuel Pricing Position, Demand Fairer Downstream Sector
Civil society organisations have backed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over its concerns about fuel pricing, insisting that Nigerians deserve greater transparency and fairness in the downstream petroleum sector.
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) accused the government of appearing more concerned with protecting business interests in the oil sector than addressing the welfare of citizens.
HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, made the position known in a telephone interview on Thursday.
Onwubiko said Nigerians were bearing the consequences of what he described as the government’s “disproportionate interest” in the comfort of oil marketers.
“The NLC is spot on. How can you explain why the only oil refinery in Nigeria and those who import petroleum products are selling at almost the same price?” he asked.
“This doesn’t make sense. Something is deeply wrong and the excuse that it is a free market is not adding up. The prices are supposed to be competitive and Nigerians ought to enjoy lower prices if things were done properly.”
The NLC had earlier accused the Federal Government and oil marketers of working against the interests of Nigerians, arguing that increased local refining should have resulted in lower fuel prices.
HURIWA said Nigerians would continue to bear the burden of high fuel costs unless the government demonstrated stronger commitment to transparency and fair competition in the downstream sector.
Also supporting the NLC’s position, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the primary responsibility of government was to protect the welfare and security of citizens.
He said government policies should be designed around those objectives.
“Since government announced the removal of fuel subsidies and the deregulation of the energy sector, government has not given Nigerians cause to believe that it is not involved in the pricing of the commodity,” Rafsanjani said.
“There are several regulatory agencies in the sector but they appear to be more interested in protecting the cabal that has over the years made huge profits from importing finished products instead of refining our crude.
“This has created a situation where Nigerians are forced to pay through their noses to get products. It is sold for one price in the morning and a higher rate in the afternoon and evening. We cannot continue like this.”
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