Fuel Hike: ASUU Declares Nationwide Strike

National President of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Biodun Ogunyemi has mobilized members of the union for strike and mass action commencing Wednesday to force the Federal Government to revert the pump price from N145 to N86.50.

In a letter sent to members of the congress nationwide and read at the University of Ibadan Chapter where the Chairman, Dr Deji Omole mobilized members to get ready for mass resistance to what he called the obnoxious and callous policy of fuel price increment.

According to Omole, the policy of subsidy removal was the most criminal ambush from the Mohammadu Buhari-led federal government to empower the rich and cripple the poor.

The ASUU boss who said that the common denominator to all Nigerians is poverty added that the same APC government that failed to pay civil servants for months is now celebrating budget signing with the legalization of black market.

Omole who noted that many state governors who now align with the removal of subsidy ran their states aground through wasteful spending added that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should beam search lights on state governors.

ASUU boss noted that the coup against the masses adding that since Nigeria runs motorized economy, Nigerians cannot be forced to carry the problems created by the rich and friends of government.

ASUU president in the letter entitled “Increase in Pump price of Premium Motor Spirit to N145 perlitre: Proposal for Joint Action with NLC stated that ASUU members are called upon to according to our Union’s principles, fully respect Article 2 of the Constitution of ASUU; that our Union and members shall work for the protection and advancement of the socio-economic interests of the nation.

Branch Chairpersons are to conduct emergency congress meetings on Tuesday 17 May 2016 to mobilize our members for the action commencing on Wednesday. All branches of ASUU nationwide are to comply”

Ogunyemi anchored the position on “delayed, partially paid and in most cases unpaid salaries for a number of months by state, federal and local governments, disguised retrenchment of workers, especially by State Governments, in the name of verification exercise and endless hunt for ghost workers and heavy taxation”.

Source: ThisDay

Did you know, Kachikwu And State Governors Forced Buhari To Hike Fuel Price

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu and state governors prevailed on President Muhammadu Buhari to hike fuel price from N86.50 to N145 per litre, a top government official told journalists in Abuja last night.

The official, who pleaded anonymity, said Buhari, who was concerned about the effect of fuel price hike on the average Nigerian, had strongly resisted the proposal by Kachikwu for several months but “succumbed reluctantly this month when he (Buhari) was presented with the stark reality of the dropping oil earnings and foreign reserves situation.”

The official said apart from this, “pressure from state governors whose allocation from FAAC has been dropping was also a significant factor that swayed the president.”

He said Buhari would not have agreed to the new fuel pricing regime if he had not been presented with the compelling evidence that Nigeria’s declining foreign earnings from oil would be further devastated unless independent oil marketers and other interested entities are encouraged to import fuel.

He said: “The amount required for fuel importation alone will easily take about more than half of the $550m foreign earnings.

If the country continues doing that the oil revenue left for FAAC sharing would be significantly reduced with the possibility that a situation where there would be nothing left to share between federal government, states and local governments exists in the near future.

“Although NNPC is meant to supply only 50 per cent of the local fuel supply and independent marketers making up the balance, none of the marketers has been able to source forex from the CBN this year and therefore cannot sell at the prevailing price regime and make a profit.

If the federal government continues with NNPC alone importing oil, and trying to fill the gap left by the independent marketers by dedicating more export crude for domestic consumption, the depleting impact on the oil earnings would continue to worsen.

And when this is added to the fact that already about 27 states cannot pay salaries because of the dwindling foreign earnings, the situation becomes even worse. Even some oil producing states like Bayelsa are affected,” he said.

He added: “With the drastic reduction in the foreign earnings in April, what would be shared at the next FAAC is expected to be the least ever, when the meagre $550m oil earnings are converted to Naira.

The sharp reduction in government revenue particularly from oil earnings due to low price regime in the international market has been exacerbated by domestic factors such as recent sabotage by disgruntled and faceless militants in the Niger Delta”.

Source: DailyTrust